About

Veronica Cipriani is an Associate Professor at the University of Chicago in the Department of Neurology. She is a neuroimmunologist with a focus on the treatment of multiple sclerosis and other demyelinating neurologic diseases such as neuromyelitis optica and anti-MOG encephalomyelitis. Her clinical interests include the diagnosis and management of autoimmune encephalitis and paraneoplastic neurologic disorders, as well as the treatment of transverse myelitis and neurologic complications of rheumatologic diseases. Dr. Cipriani enjoys seeing patients in clinic and is actively involved in teaching medical students, residents, and fellows. Her educational background includes an M.D. from the University of Miami, followed by internship at the University of Miami, residency and fellowship training at Northwestern University. Her research contributions include publications on multiple sclerosis, neuromyelitis optica, and related neuroimmunological conditions, with a focus on clinical characteristics, treatment effectiveness, and diagnostic parameters.

Research topics

• Medicine
• Internal medicine
• Radiology
• Physical therapy
• Psychology
• Psychiatry
• Neuroscience

Selected publications

• Depression severity and discordance between fatigue patient-reported outcomes in people with multiple sclerosis

  Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders · 2026-04-15

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Clinical Reasoning: A 41-Year-Old Man Presenting With Right Foot Tingling

  Neurology · 2026-03-26

  article

  The diagnostic evaluation of progressive, multifocal sensory neuropathy can be challenging and prone to misdirection without a broad differential diagnosis and a careful clinical history. We present a 41-year-old healthy man with insidious onset of right foot paresthesia, which gradually extended to his left foot and right hand over several months. This case illustrates a systematic clinical reasoning approach to multifocal neuropathy, culminating in the unexpected diagnosis of a treatable cause for neuropathy. The case underscores the importance of maintaining diagnostic openness to rare but treatable causes in the evaluation of atypical neuropathy presentations.

  PublisherDOI

• First Report of Immune-related Adverse Event Linked to Anti-Neurochondrin Antibodies (P5-8.013)

  Neurology · 2025-04-07

  articleSenior author

  NA

  PublisherDOI

• Update on pediatric inflammatory bowel diseases epidemiology during SARS-CoV-2 outbreak:data from the Italian society of pediatric gastroenterology, epatology and nutrition registry

  European Journal of Pediatrics · 2025-08-27 · 4 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Polysomnography parameters in a large cohort of people with multiple sclerosis

  Sleep Medicine · 2024-07-10 · 4 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Anti GABA-B Receptor Autoimmune Encephalitis Associated with Thymoma: Case Report (P6-14.012)

  Neurology · 2024-04-09

  articleSenior author

  N/A

  PublisherDOI

• Effectiveness of ocrelizumab on clinical and MRI outcome measures in multiple sclerosis across black and white cohorts: A single-center retrospective study

  Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders · 2023 · 6 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding
  • Medicine
  • Internal medicine
  • Physical therapy

  OBJECTIVE: To examine differences in the therapeutic response to ocrelizumab in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients who self-identified as either White or Black, assessed longitudinally by expanded disability status scale (EDSS) progression and MRI brain volume loss. METHODS: MS subjects treated with ocrelizumab were retrospectively identified. Clinical data were available for 229 subjects (White 146; Black 83) and MRI data from for 48 subjects (White 31; Black 17). Outcome measures were changes in the EDSS and brain volume over time. EDSS were analyzed as raw scores, ambulatory (EDSS <5.0) vs. ambulatory with assistance (5.5 ≤ EDSS ≤ 6.5) status, and EDSS severity (< 3.0, 3.0-5.0, and > 5.5 ≤ 6.5). General linear mixed model was used for statistical analysis. FreeSurfer was used for volumetric analysis. RESULTS: The Black cohort had overrepresentation of females (78% vs. 62%, p = 0.013), lower age (median, 45 (IQR 39-51) vs. 49 (38-58), p = 0.08), lower Vitamin D levels (33 (21-45) vs. 40 (29-52), p = 0.002), and higher EDSS (4 (2-6) vs. 2.5 (1-6), p = 0.019). There was no progression of EDSS scores over the 2-year observation period. The covariates with significant influence on the baseline EDSS scores were older age, race, longer disease duration, prior MS treatment, and lower vitamin D levels. No differences were observed between the racial groups over time in the cortical, thalamic, caudate, putamen, and brainstem gray matter volumes nor in the cortical thickness or total lesion volume. CONCLUSION: In this real-world clinical and radiological study, ocrelizumab treatment was highly effective in stabilizing clinical and MRI measures of disease progression in Blacks and Whites, despite higher baseline disability in the Black cohort.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Effectiveness of rituximab versus oral immunosuppressive therapies in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder in a racially diverse cohort of subjects: A single-center retrospective study

  Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders · 2023-04-16 · 4 citations

  articleOpen access

  BACKGROUND: Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) is an autoimmune, inflammatory disorder characterized by severe relapses and high level of disability. In clinical trials of NMOSD, Black patients are under-represented, < 12%, compared to a relatively high prevalence of NMSOD in this population, 10/100,000. Despite the higher prevalence of NMOSD in Black and Asian patients, there is limited knowledge of the effectiveness of disease modifying treatments across racially diverse groups. OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness of rituximab and oral immunosuppressive agents in a cohort of NMOSD patients, the majority of whom are Black, in a real-world, clinical setting. METHODS: A single-center retrospective study was conducted at the University of Chicago Medical Center. INCLUSION CRITERIA: (1) diagnosis according to the 2015 International Panel for NMO Diagnosis (IPND) Criteria, (2) positive anti-aquaporin-4 antibodies on ELISA or cell-based tests, (3) initiation of immunosuppressant therapy within 5 years of disease onset, (4) first-line treatment with rituximab, mycophenolate (MMF), or azathioprine (AZA). Patients with negative anti-AQP4 titers were excluded. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was used to estimate proportion of relapse-free patients following initiation of first line immunosuppressive therapy. A Cox proportional hazards regression model assessed the association of risk of relapsing with first-line immunosuppressive treatments with and without adjustments of pre-specified factors (age at disease onset, duration of disease, sex, race, CNS location of relapse). RESULTS: 7 of 29 patients (24%) receiving rituximab experienced a relapse within the first 3 years of treatment vs. 13 of 23 patients (57%) receiving either AZA or MMF. Within the first 6 months of treatment, 2 (6.9%) patients treated with rituximab experienced a relapse vs. 7 (30.4%) patients treated with either MMF or AZA. In the 29 patients treated with rituximab, the 1-year and 3-year proportion of relapse-free patients was 88.8% and 70.9%. For the 23 patients treated with either AZA or MMF, the 1-year and 3-year proportion of relapse-free patients was 69.5% and 38.7%. In the univariate analysis, the risk of relapse was significantly higher in patients treated with AZA or MMF compared to those treated with rituximab (hazard ratio [HR] of 2.48 [0.99 - 6.21]; p = 0.046). CONCLUSION: In this real-world study involving a majority of Black NMOSD patients, rituximab was relatively more effective in preventing relapses within 3 years of therapy initiation than AZA and MMF. Rituximab remains an effective option for treating NMOSD, especially when there are delays in treatment due to access and economic issues associated with newer treatments.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Multiple Sclerosis, Fatigue, Expanded Disability Status Scale: A Cross-Sectional Exploration of Sleep Efficiency and Quantitative Sleep Parameters

  International Journal of MS Care · 2023-09-15 · 5 citations

  articleOpen access

  ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Poor sleep quality and sleep disorders are more prevalent in individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) than in the general population. Poor sleep has been correlated with worse MS outcomes. Sleep efficiency (SE) is one of the most sensitive markers of sleep quality. There is very little written about SE and other polysomnography (PSG) parameters and MS measures. METHODS: This is a retrospective review of 280 consecutive individuals with MS evaluated by PSGs and other standardized MS measures over 13 years at a comprehensive MS center. In addition, the cohort was assessed with 2 fatigue scales, the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, and the Expanded Disability Status Scale. A comparison of means test (independent t test) and a correlation coefficient (r) were used. RESULTS: The PSG measures of SE and Total Sleep Time were significantly different between a group of individuals with MS with a disease duration of more than 5 years vs a group of individuals with MS with a disease duration less than or equal to 5 years. Prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea was 63%, higher than reported in the literature while the prevalence of moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea was 33.4%, which was lower than reported. CONCLUSIONS: Longer disease duration and worse disability correlate with sleep quality as measured by SE.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Analysis of the extent of limbic system changes in multiple sclerosis using FreeSurfer and voxel-based morphometry approaches

  PLoS ONE · 2022 · 8 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding
  • Neuroscience
  • Medicine
  • Psychology

  BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The limbic brain is involved in diverse cognitive, emotional, and autonomic functions. Injury of the various parts of the limbic system have been correlated with clinical deficits in MS. The purpose of this study was to comprehensively examine different regions of the subcortical limbic system to assess the extent of damage within this entire system as it may be pertinent in correlating with specific aspects of cognitive and behavioral dysfunction in MS by using a fully automated, unbiased segmentation approach. METHODS: Sixty-seven subjects were included in this study, including 52 with multiple sclerosis (MS) and 15 healthy controls. Only patients with stable MS disease, without any relapses, MRI activity, or disability progression were included. Subcortical limbic system segmentation was performed using the FreeSurfer pipeline ScLimbic, which provides volumes for fornix, mammillary bodies, hypothalamus, septal nuclei, nucleus accumbens, and basal forebrain. Hippocampus and anterior thalamic nuclei were added as additional components of the limbic circuitry, also segmented through FreeSurfer. Whole limbic region mask was generated by combining these structures and used for Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) analysis. RESULTS: The mean [95% confidence interval] of the total limbic system volume was lower (0.22% [0.21-0.23]) in MS compared to healthy controls (0.27%, [0.25-0.29], p < .001). Pairwise comparisons of individual limbic regions between MS and controls was significant in the nucleus accumbens (0.046%, [0.043-0.050] vs. 0.059%, [0.051-0.066], p = .005), hypothalamus (0.062%, [0.059-0.065] vs. 0.074%, [0.068-0.081], p = .001), basal forebrain (0.038%, [0.036-0.040] vs. 0.047%, [0.042-0.051], p = .001), hippocampus (0.47%, [0.45-0.49] vs. 0.53%, [0.49-0.57], p = .004), and anterior thalamus (0.077%, [0.072-0.082] vs. 0.093%, [0.084-0.10], p = .001) after Bonferroni correction. Volume of several limbic regions was significantly correlated with T2 lesion burden and brain parenchymal fraction (BPF). Multiple regression model showed minimal influence of BPF on limbic brain volume and no influence of other demographic and disease state variables. VBM analysis showed cluster differences in the fornix and anterior thalamic nuclei at threshold p < 0.05 after adjusting for covariates but the results were insignificant after family-wise error corrections. CONCLUSIONS: The results show evidence that brain volume loss is fairly extensive in the limbic brain. Given the significance of the limbic system in many disease states including MS, such volumetric analyses can be expanded to studying cognitive and emotional disturbances in larger clinical trials. FreeSurfer ScLimbic pipeline provided an efficient and reliable methodology for examining many of the subcortical structures related to the limbic brain.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Adil Javed

  8 shared

• Anthony T. Reder

  University of Chicago

  5 shared

• Hrayr Attarian

  Abbott (United States)

  5 shared

• Nancy Arndt

  4 shared

• Amanda Frisosky Abuaf

  University of Wisconsin–Madison

  4 shared

• Peter Pytel

  University of Chicago

  3 shared

• Sara Klein

  University of Chicago

  2 shared

• Francesco Saverio Violante

  University of Bologna

  2 shared