Disability in Multiple Sclerosis Associated with Variants in a Sodium Channel Gene

Cerebellar dysfunction can be particularly disabling for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Identifying patients with a high risk for disability could affect patient counseling and selection of therapeutics. A voltage-gated sodium channel, encoded by the SCN10A gene, has been hypothesized to contribute to cerebellar dysfunction in multiple sclerosis (MS), as demonstrated in animal models. Investigators have now assessed the relation of four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the SCN10A gene in patients with MS and controls, and examined the relationship of these SNPs with clinical and imaging parameters.

Within 161 patients with MS, two SNPs were associated with performance on the MS Functional Composite (MSFC) score, particularly…