Neuropathy Problems Archives

Multiple Sclerosis (new info) Archive in neuropathy.

Thanks, Misty!

As I have said for years, there is a LOT more yet to learn than is "known". Now, the problem will be changing the mind sets of those life-long experts in the field who are suffering from the Tolstoy Effect.

Namaste`

Walt

Comments?
Misty L. Trepke
http://www.searching-alternatives.com

New Data Challenge Theories Of Multiple
Sclerosis

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/02/040223075914.htm

Source: American Neurological Association
Date: 2004-02-23
URL:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/02/040223075914.htm

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New Data Challenge Theories Of Multiple Sclerosis
A new view of multiple sclerosis (MS) may arise from the first
extensive study of brain tissue from the earliest hours during a
bout of the disease. The results, published February 23, 2004, in
the advance on-line edition of the Annals of Neurology, suggest that
the earliest event is not, as previously believed, a misguided
immune system attack on a brain substance called myelin.

Instead, the first event appears to be the death of the brain cells
that produce myelin, triggering a subsequent immune system mop-up
operation to clean up the cells and the myelin, said author John W.
Prineas, MBBS, of the University of Sydney in Australia.

Multiple sclerosis is an enigmatic disorder of the nerve fibers of
the brain and spinal cord. Scarring (sclerosis) replaces myelin,
which normally insulates the nerves from damage and speeds
electrical conduction through the fibers.

Depending on which nerve fibers are hindered, patients can
experience problems ranging from weakness and clumsiness to
numbness, visual disturbances, and even emotional and intellectual
alterations. In some patients, MS manifests itself in cycles of
relapse and remission; in other patients, the disease may progress
to a stage of severe debilitation, either slowly or rapidly.

According to Prineas, the study he conducted with coauthor Michael
H. Barnett, MBBS, began several years ago while he was working at
the New Jersey Medical School in Newark. A fellow neuropathologist
in Manhattan asked whether Prineas and his colleagues would be
interested in examining brain tissue from a 14-year-old girl who
died unexpectedly 17 hours into a relapse.

Sudden death can occur in MS if the damage (or lesion) occurs in
parts of the brain that control vital functions such as breathing
and blood circulation.

"This patient proved to be unique in the history of multiple
sclerosis in that there was lesion available for study that was less
than a day old," said Prineas.

According to the dominant theory of MS, when the researchers
examined the hours-old lesion, they should have found the beginnings
of an immune system attack.

But Prineas and Barnett noticed that the myelin in the lesion was
still intact, and there was no evidence that the typical armada of
immune system cells and molecules had moved into the area yet.
Instead, oligodendrocytes cells, which produce the myelin, were
dying. Myelin is, in fact, an extension of oligodendrocytes that
wraps itself around nearby nerve fibers.

"This encouraged us to re-examine other early MS cases in our brain
bank," said Prineas. "Similar lesions, albeit extremely rare, were
identified in a number of other early MS cases, which allowed us to
conclude that the changes observed probably occur at the onset of
any typical new lesion."

The results could have significant consequences for MS research,
much of which is focused on understanding why the immune system
attacks myelin. The focus may have to shift to understanding why the
myelin-producing cells begin to die.

"The important point, at this stage of our investigation, seems to
be that we have no laboratory model for this sort of pathology,"
said Prineas.

The Annals of Neurology, the preeminent neurological journal
worldwide, is published by the American Neurological Association,
the world's oldest and most prestigious neurological association.
The 1,400 members of the ANA--selected from among the most respected
academic neurologists and neuroscientists in North America and other
countries--are devoted to furthering the understanding and treatment
of nervous system disorders. For more information, visit
http://www.aneuroa.org.