Joshua H Bacon, Ph.D.

Trend for decreasing Multiple Sclerosis Severity Scores (MSSS) with increasing calendar year of enrollment into the New York State Multiple Sclerosis Consortium
Kister I; Chamot E; Bacon JH; Cutter G; Herbert J
2011 Jun;17(6):725-733, Multiple sclerosis
Background: Although the natural history of multiple sclerosis has been charted extensively, it is still not known whether the trajectory of disability accumulation has changed in the era of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs). Objective: The objective of this study was to examine trends in Multiple Sclerosis Severity Score (MSSS) with regard to calendar year of enrollment into the New York State MS Consortium (NYSMSC). Methods: Distributions of MSSS were calculated for each year of enrollment, from 1996 to 2007. Quantile regression was used in a multivariable analysis to model for conditional distribution of MSSS quantiles as functions of potential confounders. Results: The cohort consisted of 6238 patients. Mean age at enrollment was 38 years (SD = 10) and mean disease duration was 10.1 years (SD = 7.3); 57% were on DMTs. The quantile regression model of trends in MSSS between 1996 and 2007 controlled for age, sex, ethnicity, diagnostic delay, and disease duration and demonstrated a robust trend toward lower MSSS with increasing year of enrollment. The model-predicted median MSSS at enrollment in 1996 was 5.04 (95% CI, 4.86-5.21), and in 2007 was 3.78 (95%CI, 3.36-4.20; p < 0.001). The downward trend in MSSS during the enrollment period was confirmed by analysis of Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) distributions, adjusted for disease duration, in successive years of enrollment. Conclusions: The recent enrollees into the NYSMSC had lower MSSSs compared to the earlier enrollees. The apparent slowing in disability accumulation is likely due to a complex combination of factors: advent of DMTs and improvements in MS care, as well as selection, migration, and recall biases
— id: 121305, year: 2011, vol: 17, page: 725, stat: Journal Article,

A Novel Computerized Word-Naming Test Shows That Crossed-Hemisphere Processing Speed Is Slowed in Multiple Sclerosis Patients
Bacon, J; Bacon, T; Kister, I; Herbert, J
2010 ;74(9):A361-A361, Neurology
— id: 111990, year: 2010, vol: 74, page: A361, stat: Journal Article,

Trend towards Lowering of Multiple Sclerosis Severity Scores among More Recent Enrollees into the New York State Multiple Sclerosis Consortium
Herbert, J; Chamot, E; Bacon, J; Apatoff, B; Blitz, K; Coyle, P; Goodman, A; Gottesman, M; Edwards, K; Frontera, A; Holub, R; Jubelt, B; Khan, M; Krupp, L; Lenihan, M; Lublin, F; Mihai, C; Miller, A; Munschauer, FE; Perel, A; Snyder, D; Teter, B; Tullman, M; Weinstock-Guttman, B; Zivadinov, R; Kister, I
2010 ;74(9):A425-A425, Neurology
— id: 111991, year: 2010, vol: 74, page: A425, stat: Journal Article,

Rapid disease course in African Americans with multiple sclerosis
Kister, I; Chamot, E; Bacon, J H; Niewczyk, P M; De Guzman, R A; Apatoff, B; Coyle, P; Goodman, A D; Gottesman, M; Granger, C; Jubelt, B; Krupp, L; Lenihan, M; Lublin, F; Mihai, C; Miller, A; Munschauer, F E 3rd; Perel, A B; Teter, B E; Weinstock-Guttman, B; Zivadinov, R; Herbert, J
2010 Jul 20;75(3):217-223, Neurology
OBJECTIVE: To investigate utility of a Multiple Sclerosis Severity Scale (MSSS)-based classification system for comparing African American (AA) and white American (WA) multiple sclerosis (MS) subpopulations in the New York State Multiple Sclerosis Consortium (NYSMSC) database. MSSS is a frequency-rank algorithm relating MS disability to disease duration in a large, untreated reference population. Design/ METHODS: Distributions of patients in 6 MSSS-based severity grades were calculated for AA and WA registrants. RESULTS: There were 419 AA and 5,809 WA patients in the NYSMSC, who had EDSS recorded during years 1-30 since symptom onset. Median EDSS was not different in AA and WA (3.5 vs 3.0, p = 0.60), whereas median MSSS in AA was higher than in WA (6.0 vs 4.8, p = 0.001). AA patients were overrepresented in the 2 most severe grades (41.5% vs 29.3% for WA) and underrepresented in the 2 lowest grades (23.4% vs 35.4%; p < 0.001). In multivariable analysis (ordered logistic and median regression), MSSS for AA remained significantly higher than in WA after adjusting for age, gender, disease duration, disease type distribution, and treatment with disease-modifying therapies. CONCLUSIONS: The 6-tiered MSSS grading system is a powerful tool for comparing rate of disease progression in subpopulations of interest. MSSS-based analysis demonstrates that African ancestry is a risk factor for a more rapidly disabling disease course
— id: 111364, year: 2010, vol: 75, page: 217, stat: Journal Article,

Migraine is comorbid with multiple sclerosis and associated with a more symptomatic MS course
Kister, Ilya; Caminero, A B; Monteith, T S; Soliman, A; Bacon, T E; Bacon, J H; Kalina, J T; Inglese, M; Herbert, J; Lipton, R B
2010 Oct;11(5):417-425, Journal of headache & pain
The objectives of this study were: (1) to assess relative frequency of migraine in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients using the validated self-administered diagnostic questionnaire, and to compare the migraine rates in MS outpatients to age- and gender-matched historical population controls; (2) to compare clinical and radiographic characteristics in MS patients with migraine and headache-free MS patients. We conducted a cross-sectional study to assess the demographic profiles, headache features and clinical characteristics of MS patients attending a MS clinic using a questionnaire based on the American Migraine Prevalence and Prevention (AMPP) study. We compared the relative frequency of migraine in MS clinic patients and AMPP cohort. We also compared clinical and radiographic features in MS patients with migraine to an MS control group without headache. Among 204 MS patients, the relative frequency of migraine was threefold higher than in population controls both for women [55.7 vs. 17.1%; prevalence ratio (PR) =3.26, p<0.001] and men (18.4 vs. 5.6%; PR=3.29, p<0.001). In a series of logistic regression models that controlled for age, gender, disease duration, beta-interferon use, and depression, migraine in MS patients was significantly associated (p<0.01) with trigeminal and occipital neuralgia, facial pain, Lhermitte's sign, temporomandibular joint pain, non-headache pain and a past history of depression. Migraine status was not significantly associated with disability on patient-derived disability steps scale or T2 lesion burden on brain MRI. Migraine is three-times more common in MS clinic patients than in general population. MS-migraine group was more symptomatic than the MS-no headache group
— id: 138212, year: 2010, vol: 11, page: 417, stat: Journal Article,

Threefold Increase in Migraine in MS Patients Compared to Age- and Gender-Matched Population Controls
Kister, I; Rodriguez, ABC; Monteith, T; Soliman, A; Fromm, JT; Bacon, JH; Lipton, RB; Herbert, J
2009 ;72(11):A373-A373, Neurology
— id: 111996, year: 2009, vol: 72, page: A373, stat: Journal Article,

Natalizumab reduces multiple sclerosis severity: Analysis of patients from the AFFIRM and SENTINEL studies using the multiple sclerosis severity scale
Herbert, J; Kappos, L; Calabresi, P; Confavreux, C; Galetta, S; Giovannoni, G; Havrdova, E; Hutchinson, M; Lublin, F; Miller, D; O'Connor, PW; Phillips, J; Polman, C; Radue, EW; Rudick, R; Stuart, W; Wajgt, A; Weinstock-Guttman, B; Wynn, D; Bacon, J; Kister, I; Pace, A; Panzara, M
2008 ;70(11):A212-A212, Neurology
— id: 111998, year: 2008, vol: 70, page: A212, stat: Journal Article,

US severity scores in African Americans are dramatically worse than mon-African Americans: Analysis of the New York state MS consortium (NYSMSC) dataset
Kister, I; Bacon, J; De Guzman, RA; Teter, B; Christodoulou, C; Coyle, P; Frontera, A; Gauthier, S; Goodman, A; Gottesman, M; Granger, C; Holub, R; Jubelt, B; Khan, M; Krupp, L; Lava, N; Lenihan, M; Lublin, F; Mihai, C; Miller, A; Munschauer, F; Nealon, N; Schwid, S; Smiroldo, J; Snyder, D; Tullman, M; Weinstock-Guttman, B; Zivadinov, R; Herbert, J
2008 ;70(11):A332-A332, Neurology
— id: 111999, year: 2008, vol: 70, page: A332, stat: Journal Article,

Cognitive interventions to improve cognitive functioning in patients with multiple sclerosis
Bacon, J; Fromm, J; Neuhaus, R; Herbert, J
2007 OCT ;13(2):S232-S233, Multiple sclerosis
— id: 75900, year: 2007, vol: 13, page: S232, stat: Journal Article,

Impact of natalizumab on multiple sclerosis severity: analysis of patients and subgroups from the AFFIRM study using the Multiple Sclerosis Severity Scale
Herbert, J; Kappos, L; Giovannoni, G; Havrdova, E; Hutchinson, M; Lublin, F; Miller, D; O'Connor, P; Phillips, JT; Polman, CH; Wajgt, A; Bacon, J; Kister, I; Pace, A; Panzara, M
2007 OCT ;13(2):S169-S170, Multiple sclerosis
— id: 75898, year: 2007, vol: 13, page: S169, stat: Journal Article,

Impact of headaches on the course of multiple sclerosis: preliminary results of a cross-sectional survey
Kister, I; Soliman, A; Fuman, L; Fromm, T; Bacon, J; Herbert, J; Lipton, R
2007 ;13(16):S123-S124, Multiple sclerosis
— id: 112001, year: 2007, vol: 13, page: S123, stat: Journal Article,

Cognitive rehabilitation of memory processes and processing speed to improve daily functioning of multiple sclerosis patients
Bacon, J; Fromm, JT; Herbert, J
2006 SEP ;12(7131):S117-S117, Multiple sclerosis
— id: 70920, year: 2006, vol: 12, page: S117, stat: Journal Article,

Motivational styles as a predictor of adherence to injection therapy for multiple sclerosis
Bacon, J; Riber, L; Fromm, JT; Safier, M; Herbert, J
2006 SEP ;12(7131):S117-S117, Multiple sclerosis
— id: 70921, year: 2006, vol: 12, page: S117, stat: Journal Article,