MS Care Center

A very active research program is part of the MS Care Center’s mission to investigate diagnostics and drugs that could prove to be helpful in treatment and, perhaps, eventual cure of MS.

Gene Logic
closed to enrollment
This study examines patterns of gene activity in the blood of patients who have MS, with the hope of identifying genes involved in the MS disease process.

OMEGA
enrolling
This study compares intravenous (into the vein) steroid treatment to oral (by mouth) steroid treatment in the management of sudden attacks that occur in patients with relapsing-remitting MS.

Avanir
enrolling
This study assesses the safety of a combination of two medications in order to treat individuals with emotional instability, which can often occur with MS. The two medications have been approved by the FDA.

CombiRx
enrolling
This study compares treating patients with Avonex, Copaxone, or both of these medications together. The goal is to determine whether the combination of Avonex and Copaxone will reduce the number of relapses per year in patients with relapsing-remitting MS.

Radiology
enrolling
In this study, subjects with different forms of MS receive complimentary MRIs as well as cognitive and neurological testing. The purpose of this study is to develop new magnetic resonance (imaging) methods to evaluate MS and increase the knowledge about this disease.

Timed Tandem Walk
enrolling
Tandem walking is walking “heel to toe” along a straight line; at each step the heel of one foot touches the toe of the other foot. This study tests whether a timed tandem walk is more sensitive to mild changes in neurologic function than other available measures. Clinical measures of neurological conditions are extremely important.

Injection Adherence
enrolling
This study examines the reasons why MS patients decide whether to adhere to their injectable medications. Subjects who are prescribed injectable medications for MS treatment are eligible for this study.

DAC 10-12
enrolling
This study examines the use of a possible new medication for MS treatment. The study involves subcutaneous (just beneath the skin) Daclizumab injections in patients with active, relapsing forms of MS who have been taking Avonex, Betaseron, or Rebif for at least six months.

Consortium
enrolling
The New York State Multiple Sclerosis Consortium involves a collaboration of 17 MS centers in New York State. The purpose of the consortium is to obtain a more accurate understanding of MS in terms of prevalence, demographics, type of MS, functional capabilities, laboratory findings, and treatment regimes.

ABOVE
closed to enrollment
This study compares the efficacy and safety of Betaseron taken subcutaneously (just under the skin) every other day versus Avonex intramuscularly (into the muscle) once per week in relapsing-remitting MS patients previously treated with Avonex.

IVIG
closed to enrollment
This study involves a quality of life questionnaire for patients who have been treated with IVIG. The purpose of the study is to see the difference in quality of life after being on IVIG treatment.

For more information, please contact our Research Coordinator: Tamar Fromm, MS, OTR/L at (212) 598-6585, Jennifer.fromm@nyumc.org.

HJD/NYU ADD Center

Several research projects are currently being conducted or are planned at the HJD/NYU ADD Center. These projects include:

A placebo-controlled trial of a novel Norepinephrine and Dopamine Re-uptake Inhibitor in adults with ADD
The prevalence of ADD in patients with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder vs. Panic Disorder (in conjunction with the New York Veterans Affairs Medical Center)
Pre-pulse inhibition of startle and startle amplitude as a diagnostic measure and a measure of treatment response in patients with ADD ( in conjunction with the New York Veterans Affairs Medical Center)
Treatment and prevalence of sleep disturbances in patients with ADD receiving treatment with stimulants
Clinical Neurophysiology

Ongoing research is conducted in the following areas:

Central Pain
Neurophysiology of Parkinson's Disease
Neuromuscular Diseases