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Stress in Multiple Sclerosis: Review of New Developments and Future Directions

  • Demyelinating Disorders (DN Bourdette and V Yadav, Section Editors)
  • Published:
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Abstract

In the experimental autoimmune encephalitis model of multiple sclerosis, the effects of stress on disease severity depend on multiple factors, including the animal’s genetics and the type of stressor. The studies in humans relating stress to the risk of developing multiple sclerosis have found discordant results. The studies looking at the association of stress with relapses show a fairly consistent association, where higher stress is associated with a higher risk of relapse. Higher stress levels also appear to increase the risk of development of gadolinium-enhancing lesions. A recent randomized trial shows that reducing stress using stress management therapy (SMT), a cognitive–behavioral therapy approach, results in a statistically significant reduction in new magnetic resonance imaging lesions. The magnitude of this effect is large and comparable to the effects of existent disease-modifying therapies, but no data exist yet proving that SMT reduces relapses or clinical progression; the effect of SMT appears to be short-lived. Additional work is needed to improve the duration of this effect and make this therapy more widely accessible.

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Papers of particular interest, published recently, have been highlighted as: • Of importance •• Of major importance

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Jesus Lovera and Tara Reza declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology, LSU Health Sciences Center-New Orleans, 1542 Tulane Avenue, Room 718A, New Orleans, LA, 70112, USA

    Jesus Lovera

  2. Biomedical Engineering, University of Southern California, 1804 Octavia Street, New Orleans, LA, 70115, USA

    Tara Reza

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  1. Jesus Lovera
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  2. Tara Reza
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Correspondence to Jesus Lovera.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Demyelinating Disorders

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Lovera, J., Reza, T. Stress in Multiple Sclerosis: Review of New Developments and Future Directions. Curr Neurol Neurosci Rep 13, 398 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11910-013-0398-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11910-013-0398-4

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