Are MS Symptoms Really Caused by Nerve Damage?
Multiple sclerosis symptoms may be caused by damage to the gaps in-between nerve cells, rather than damage to the nerve coating as commonly thought, according to a panel of scientists on a live National Multiple Sclerosis Society webcast last week.
Moderated by Kate Milliken — a videographer with multiple sclerosis (MS) — the panelists discussed nerve damage repair techniques that may someday provide more advanced treatment options for people living with the disease.
New Theory: What Causes MS?
Our neurons, commonly called nerve cells, process and transmit electrical information. Information from one neuron flows to another neuron across a synapse, which is a small gap that separates the nerve cells. Many scientists believe that MS destroyed a patient’s myelin (the outer coating of our nerves) and that this causes the nerve damage commonly associated with the disease.
However, that’s not the only theory. The majority of the damage could also be caused by an attack on that small gap (the synapse), said Ben Barres, MD, PhD, a neurobiologist at the Stanford University School of Medicine and speaker on the panel. Ultimately, the damage to those gaps could be the cause of MS symptoms, which include both physical and cognitive disability.
One Treatment to Unite Them All?
Scientists have just completed the phase one trials on a drug that tests the new theory, said Jonah Chan, MD, a neuroscientist at the University of California, San Francisco, and speaker on the panel. The drug could, one day, protect those nerve synapses from damage. This research is important because there are no disease modifying therapies for patients with progressive forms of MS. Though Dr. Chan’s research is in its beginning stages, it could lead to treatments that would help people with all types of MS.
For more information on Chan’s trials, reach out to your doctor or the National MS Society. I would like to thank the National MS Society, the moderator, and the distinguished guests for making this webcast available to all those impacted by MS.
- Ben Barres MD, PhD, a neurobiologist at the Stanford University School of Medicine, focuses on understanding factors that control the growth and repair of myelin.
- Jonah Chan, MD, a neuroscientist at University of California, San Francisco, won the first international Barancik Prize for brain repair and innovation in the treatment of MS.
- Timothy Coetzee, PhD, is the chief advocacy and services officer for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, who recently spearheaded an international committee for treatment of progressive MS.
- Rhonda Voskuhl, MD, a neurologist at the University of California, Los Angeles, studies gender differences in those living with MS