Episode 114: Understanding & Treating Cognitive Impairment in MS with Dr. Silvana Costa

My guest this week is Dr. Silvana Costa, a research scientist in the Neuropsychology and Neuroscience Center at the Kessler Foundation. Dr. Costa's work is focused on cognitive impairment in MS, specifically, information processing speed, which is something that people living with MS often have to deal with. We'll talk with Dr. Costa about some of her specific research, along with a promising intervention designed to improve cognitive processing speed for people living with MS.      We're also talking about the FDA approval of Vumerity, an oral disease-modifying therapy for relapsing-remitting MS and active secondary progressive MS. We'll tell you about the stem cell therapy that was just approved for people with MS in Scotland.   The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute is an important part of the Affordable Care Act. It's currently authorized to operate for just 16 more days. You'll learn about the bipartisan effort in the U.S. Congress to re-authorize PCORI, and why that benefits people affected by MS.   November is National Family Caregivers Month, and we're talking about what that means, why it's important, and why MS caregivers need to #BeCareCurious.   We have a lot to talk about! Are you ready for RealTalk MS??! ___________   Let's Meet Up! Where I'll Be in November  :22 Vumerity Receives FDA Approval  3:44 Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) Bipartisan Re-Authorization Bill  4:34 Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) Approved for MS in Scotland   8:38 November is National Family Caregivers Month  10:42 My Interview with Dr. Silvana Costa  15:53 How to Subscribe to RealTalk MS, Download the RealTalk MS App, or Listen with Alexa  24:19 ___________ ADD YOUR VOICE TO THE CONVERSATION I've always thought about the RealTalk MS podcast as a conversation. And this is your opportunity to join the conversation by sharing your feedback, questions, and suggestions for topics that we can discuss in future podcast episodes. Please shoot me an email or call the RealTalk MS Listener Hotline and share your thoughts! Email: [email protected]: (310) 526-2283 ___________ LINKS If your podcast app doesn't allow you to click on these links, you'll find them in the show notes in the RealTalk MS app or at www.RealTalkMS.com Give RealTalk MS a Rating & Review  Kessler Foundation Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute iConquer MS Caregiver Action Network -- National Family Caregivers Month Give RealTalk MS a Rating & Review  Download the RealTalk MS App for iOS Download the RealTalk MS App for Android ___________ Follow RealTalk MS on Twitter, @RealTalkMS_jon, and subscribe to our newsletter at our website, RealTalkMS.com. RealTalk MS Episode 114 Hosted By: Jon Strum Guests: Dr. Silvana Costa Tags: MS, MultipleSclerosis, MSResearch, MSSociety, PCORI, stemcells, BeCareCurious, KesslerFdn, RealTalkMS