Welcome to the MS Compass: Guiding Clinical Care podcast. A clinician-focused podcast led by Lindsay Ross, MD, of Cleveland Clinic, exploring the research, care decisions, and evolving conversations shaping MS treatment for women.

In this episode of MS Compass: Guiding Clinical Care, host Lindsay Ross, MD, is joined by Rachel Galioto, PhD, a Cleveland Clinic neuropsychologist focused on neuroimmunology, to explore how clinicians can better recognize, assess, and manage cognitive concerns in people with MS. 

Galioto discusses evolving evidence suggesting that the cognitive profile of MS may be changing in the modern treatment era, with memory and language difficulties potentially playing a greater role than historically appreciated. Ross and Galioto also examine how disease burden, sleep, mood, medications, pain, and other secondary factors can interact to affect cognition, emphasizing that cognitive dysfunction is rarely attributable to a single cause. The conversation concludes with practical guidance on medication review, addressing sleep problems, determining when formal neuropsychological testing is worthwhile, and using cognitive rehabilitation and compensatory strategies to reduce the impact of cognitive difficulties on everyday life. 

Episode Breakdown: 

Welcome to the MS Compass: Guiding Clinical Care podcast. A clinician-focused podcast led by Lindsay Ross, MD, of Cleveland Clinic, exploring the research, care decisions, and evolving conversations shaping MS treatment for women.

In this episode of MS Compass: Guiding Clinical Care, host Lindsay Ross, MD, is joined by Tammy Kaplan, MD, assistant professor at Harvard Medical School and vice chair of education for neurology at Mass General Brigham, for a comprehensive discussion on sexual dysfunction in patients with multiple sclerosis. The conversation opens with an overview of the scope and prevalence of sexual dysfunction in MS, emphasizing its impact on quality of life and its frequent underrecognition in clinical practice.

Kaplan outlines a practical framework for understanding sexual dysfunction through primary, secondary, and tertiary contributors, before shifting into strategies for integrating sexual health discussions into routine clinical care. The episode also explores common barriers clinicians face, including time constraints and uncertainty around management, while offering actionable approaches to assessment, communication, and treatment. Additional discussion highlights symptom-specific management strategies, indications for referral, and emerging areas of research, including neuromodulation and hormonal considerations.

Episode Breakdown: 

Welcome to the MS Compass: Guiding Clinical Care podcast. A clinician-focused podcast led by Lindsay Ross, MD, of Cleveland Clinic, exploring the research, care decisions, and evolving conversations shaping MS treatment for women.

In this initial episode of MS Compass: Guiding Clinical Care, host Lindsay Ross, MD, is joined by Edith Graham, MD, assistant professor of neurology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, for an in-depth discussion on managing multiple sclerosis during breastfeeding. The conversation examines how postpartum care decisions are evolving as more safety, pharmacokinetic, and infant outcome data become available, particularly around the use of disease-modifying therapies during lactation. Drs Ross and Graham discuss the growing comfort with anti-CD20 monoclonal antibodies, how relapse risk and breastfeeding physiology factor into treatment timing, and the practical considerations clinicians weigh when counseling patients during this critical phase of MS care.

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