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Peer-reviewedCC BYScientific Reports

Multifocal ERG reveals functional retinal changes in multiple sclerosis patients treated with teriflunomide: a 12-month prospective study

  • Marc Figueras-Roca1
  • Juan Laraña1
  • Anna Camós-Carreras1
  • Salut Alba-Arbalat1
  • Erika Sánchez-Vela2
  • Sara Llufriu3
  • Pablo Villoslada4
  • Bernardo Sánchez-Dalmau1
4 affiliations
  1. 1Department of Ophthalmology, Hospital Clinic de Barcelona
  2. 2Consorci Sanitari Integral, Ophthalmology, L’Hospitalet de Llobregat
  3. 3Advanced Imaging in Neuroimmunological Diseases (ImaginEM), Institut d’Investigacions Biomediques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS)
  4. 4Neurology, Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute
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Abstract

In multiple sclerosis (MS), the retina can be affected by acute inflammation during optic neuritis and by chronic neurodegeneration involving retinal cells. Teriflunomide is an approved immunomodulatory therapy that reduces relapse rates, but its potential to mitigate chronic retinal damage in MS remains unclear. We conducted a prospective, open-label study including 15 patients (87% females, mean ± SD age of 46.5 ± 6.2 years-old) with RRMS initiating teriflunomide as standard of care. Assessments were performed at baseline and after 12 months, including best-corrected visual acuity, neurological disability (Expanded Disability Status Scale, EDSS), retinal layer thickness by optical coherence tomography (OCT), and multifocal electroretinography (mfERG) to evaluate retinal cell function. During follow-up, patients remained clinically stable with no relapses, optic neuritis episodes, or significant changes in EDSS or visual acuity. After 12 months of treatment, mfERG analysis revealed a statistically significant overall wave amplitude mean increase in P1 (+ 21.6%, p = 0.039) and a non-significant mean increase in N1 (+ 17.5%, p = 0.143) and N2 amplitude (+ 11%, p = 0.851). One year of teriflunomide therapy was associated with functional improvement in retinal electrophysiological responses in clinically stable MS patients.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{figuerasroca2026multifocal,
  title = {{Multifocal ERG reveals functional retinal changes in multiple sclerosis patients treated with teriflunomide: a 12-month prospective study}},
  author = {Marc Figueras-Roca and Juan Laraña and Anna Camós-Carreras and Salut Alba-Arbalat and Erika Sánchez-Vela and Sara Llufriu and Pablo Villoslada and Bernardo Sánchez-Dalmau},
  journal = {Scientific Reports},
  year = {2026},
  month = jul,
  doi = {10.1038/s41598-026-63560-6},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-63560-6},
  note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Multifocal ERG reveals functional retinal changes in multiple sclerosis patients treated with teriflunomide: a 12-month prospective study
AU  - Marc Figueras-Roca
AU  - Juan Laraña
AU  - Anna Camós-Carreras
AU  - Salut Alba-Arbalat
AU  - Erika Sánchez-Vela
AU  - Sara Llufriu
AU  - Pablo Villoslada
AU  - Bernardo Sánchez-Dalmau
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/07/01
JO  - Scientific Reports
DO  - 10.1038/s41598-026-63560-6
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-63560-6
AB  - In multiple sclerosis (MS), the retina can be affected by acute inflammation during optic neuritis and by chronic neurodegeneration involving retinal cells. Teriflunomide is an approved immunomodulatory therapy that reduces relapse rates, but its potential to mitigate chronic retinal damage in MS remains unclear. We conducted a prospective, open-label study including 15 patients (87% females, mean ± SD age of 46.5 ± 6.2 years-old) with RRMS initiating teriflunomide as standard of care. Assessments were performed at baseline and after 12 months, including best-corrected visual acuity, neurological disability (Expanded Disability Status Scale, EDSS), retinal layer thickness by optical coherence tomography (OCT), and multifocal electroretinography (mfERG) to evaluate retinal cell function. During follow-up, patients remained clinically stable with no relapses, optic neuritis episodes, or significant changes in EDSS or visual acuity. After 12 months of treatment, mfERG analysis revealed a statistically significant overall wave amplitude mean increase in P1 (+ 21.6%, p = 0.039) and a non-significant mean increase in N1 (+ 17.5%, p = 0.143) and N2 amplitude (+ 11%, p = 0.851). One year of teriflunomide therapy was associated with functional improvement in retinal electrophysiological responses in clinically stable MS patients.
SN  - 2045-2322
ER  -