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Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a long lasting disease of the nervous system. It is an unpredictable disease where the cells that fight off disease view the body cells as “foreign” and therefore threats, killing these necessary cells. It can lead to damage or inflammation in the brain. This inflammation can occur in white matter in the brain. White matter is an area deep in the brain that contains extensions of nerve cells called axons. Axons are surrounded by a layer of fat called the myelin sheath. This gives white matter its colour. White matter that is not inflamed is called normal appearing white matter or NAWM.
Before this, scientists have found it hard to look in more detail at how neurons function in MS patients, specifically the changes that may have occurred to the myelin sheath. Changes in NAWM in MS patients have been thought to contribute to the further spread of the disease. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute and the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience observed each cell structure and organelles of the axon in the NAWM of MS patients to understand how the structure correlates with low grade inflammation associated with MS.
They saw that in the NAWM of MS patients the myelin sheath was loosely wrapped or slightly detached from the axon. The covering of the myelin sheath is important for the speed of passage of messages as they pass from neuron to neuron. If the myelin sheath is not wrapped tightly, more energy is needed. When the body produces energy, there are other harmful products also produced along with it that further degrade the myelin sheath. This is one of the first times an in depth observation of how white matter is different in MS patients has been conducted and has given scientists a whole new perspective on MS treatment.
Future research on how these characteristics can be used to create a cure beginning with animal trials. However, this cure would only be able to stop new damage that might occur to the brain rather than correcting already existing damage. Future research should also be done on other areas as these researchers only observed the nerve in the brain that connects to the eye. In other areas, the axon may have other characteristics that may correlate with MS.
Works Cited
Johns Hopkins Medicine. “Multiple Sclerosis (MS).” Www.hopkinsmedicine.org, 2022, www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/multiple-sclerosis-ms. Accessed 7 June 2023.
Science Daily. “The White Matter of the MS Brain Shows Abnormalities Even before Inflammation.” ScienceDaily, 25 May 2023, www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/05/230525141313.htm. Accessed 7 June 2023.
“White Matter of the Brain: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia.” Medlineplus.gov, 2016, medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002344.htm. Accessed 7 June 2023.
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