Causes

Exposure to heavy metals and being female are associated with a higher incidence of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a study conducted by Maria Cristina Monti and colleagues from two Italian universities. The study, “Is Geo-Environmental Exposure a Risk Factor for Multiple Sclerosis? A Population-Based Cross-Sectional Study in South-Western Sardinia,” was…

Regions of DNA called super-enhancers regulate immune cell activity, including the body’s response to threats like inflammation or pathogens, and now scientists have found that they also harbor genetic variants associated with autoimmune diseases — gene variants that may be the “master switches” for these conditions. The findings were described in the study “…

A single genetic mutation in a gene called Nr1h3, can cause familial multiple sclerosis (MS), reported scientists from the University of British Columbia and Vancouver Coastal Health. The study, “Nuclear Receptor NR1H3 in Familial Multiple Sclerosis” was published in the journal Neuron. The discovery…

A mutation in a mouse model of the John Cunningham (JC) virus, which causes progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), allows the virus to evade the host immune responses in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a study into the mechanisms of PML. Infection with the JC virus most often passes unnoticed in healthy…

Previous studies suggested that multiple sclerosis (MS) and Hodgkin lymphoma might share underlying causes, including exposure to microorganisms in childhood, such as Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection. In the study “Multiple sclerosis and risk of young-adult-onset Hodgkin lymphoma,” published in the journal Neurology: Neuroimmunology and Neuroinflammation, researchers suggested that…

A team of researchers suggested that cigarette smoking is associated with adverse effects to white matter in the brain, and reported that smoking may underlie the clinical course of clinically isolated syndrome, an early and potentially predictive symptom of a progression to multiple sclerosis (MS). The study, “Influence of cigarette smoking on white matter in patients with…

According to new research published in the Multiple Sclerosis Journal, environmental factors appear to play a much greater role in the onset of multiple sclerosis (MS) than previously recognized. The study, “Ethnicity and prevalence of multiple sclerosis in east London,” was led by scientists at…

Children whose mothers were vitamin D deficient during the early stages of pregnancy are at an elevated risk for developing multiple sclerosis (MS) in adulthood, according to a study published in the journal JAMA Neurology, titled “Vitamin D Status During Pregnancy and Risk of Multiple…

A new research study published online in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry suggests that drinking six cups of coffee a day could lower the risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS). The researchers said the neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory properties of caffeine in coffee may explain why drinking a…

Researchers at the University of Northampton’s Radon and Natural Radioactivity Research Group (RNRRG) developed a methodology to study whether radon gas, an invisible and radioactive gas known to cause lung cancer, might be a contributing factor in multiple sclerosis. They concluded that the link between the two was weak and not statistically significant.

A research team at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) in Boston and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) launched a study on people at risk for developing multiple sclerosis (MS), a debilitating disease that affects more than 400,000 people in the United States and about…

Researchers have isolated the particular cell types likely to initiate common brain disorders and diseases, such as multiple sclerosis (MS) and Alzheimer’s disease, a finding that may point the way to new and targeted treatments. The brain has a complex cellular architecture characterized by a diverse set of cell types that are…

In a new study, researchers found that additives common to processed foods can damage the tight junctions that protect the intestinal mucosa, and which are essential to the intestinal tolerance and immunity balance that works to prevent autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS). The article, titled “Changes in…

Researchers are proposing for a first time that multiple sclerosis (MS) is triggered by the death of a specific cell population within the central nervous system called oligodendrocytes. The study, titled “Oligodendrocyte death results in immune-mediated CNS demyelination,” was published in the journal Nature Neuroscience. Oligodendrocytes,…

In a new study, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Texas and The Scripps Research Institute in California discovered that the enzyme NEK7, vital to cell division, plays a crucial role in the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome, essential to the onset of inflammation. This discovery may have a significant impact…

The Multiple Sclerosis Society (MS Society) in the United Kingdom recently announced the investment of £1.98 million in new MS research. The 16 projects awarded funding through the MS Society’s 2015 grant round were thoroughly evaluated in a rigorous review process. In total, 58 projects applied for MS Society…

Researchers from the Gladstone Institutes have shown in a new study that fibrinogen, an important blood coagulation protein, can induce an autoimmune response in the central nervous system when the blood-brain barrier (BBB) is disrupted and blood proteins enter the brain. The study, entitled “Blood coagulation protein fibrinogen promotes…

Exposure to sunlight may delay the development of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new study from researchers in Denmark. The work, titled “Association between age at onset of multiple sclerosis and vitamin D level–related factors,” appeared October 7, 2015 in the journal Neurology.

In a new study entitled “Variants of MicroRNA Genes: Gender-Specific Associations with Multiple Sclerosis Risk and Severity,” researchers identified variations in genes coding for microRNAs that influence patients’ susceptibility to develop multiple sclerosis, as well as the disease course. Most importantly, these variations were gender specific, identified only…

In a recent study published in The Journal of Immunology, researchers from a Northwestern Medicine lab discovered a potential clue about why women are more likely than men to develop autoimmune conditions such as multiple sclerosis (MS). The researchers used a specific white blood cell, called the innate lymphoid cell,…

Researchers in the Department of Immunology at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis were able to identify a faulty “brake” in immune cells which may be involved in the inflammation triggering multiple sclerosis (MS). This brake is believed to be able to control inflammation, offering the potential for the development of new…

There has been a great deal of recent interest in the connection between nervous system function and the complex bacteria that are found in the gastrointestinal system, known as the gut microbiome. Some scientists believe that differences in the type of bacteria found in the gut may underlie neurological disease. In…

In a recent study entitled “Expression of GM-CSF in T Cells Is Increased in Multiple Sclerosis and Suppressed by IFN-β Therapy,” researchers unraveled a key role for the cytokine GM-CSF in multiple sclerosis progression, suggesting GM-CSF as a target of IFN-β therapy. The study was published in…

Coffee Drinking may confer the side-benefit of lowering the risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) in susceptible individuals, according to a meta-analysis of Swedish and American studies to be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 67th Annual Meeting to be held April 18-25, 2015 at the…

A new study entitled “Mercury Exposure and Antinuclear Antibodies among Females of Reproductive Age in the United States” suggests mercury exposure by seafood may increase the risk of developing autoimmune diseases in women. The study was published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives. Autoimmune disorders…

A new study on the association between Helicobacter pylori and multiple sclerosis (MS) entitled “Helicobacter pylori infection as a protective factor against multiple sclerosis risk in females” was published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry by Marzena J. Fabis Pedrini from the Centre…

A team of researchers from Italy recently examined if p53 genetic variants influence synaptic and toxic effects of cytokines in the neurodegenerative processes that occurs in Multiple Sclerosis. The study, entitled “Interleukin-1β causes excitotoxic neurodegeneration and multiple sclerosis disease progression by activating the apoptotic protein p53,” was recently published…

Researchers from the National University of Singapore have found a new type of immune cell that could aid in the development of treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS). The study was published on November 21 in the journal Cell Research entitled, “STAT5 programs a distinct subset of GM-CSF-producing T helper…

Researchers recently uncovered some curious new insights into environmental factors that may rise or lower the risk of developing Multiple Sclerosis. A new study entitled “Environmental exposures and the risk of multiple sclerosis investigated in a Norwegian case–control study” published in October issue of…

Charles Moore, Science and Research Editor of Multiple Sclerosis News Today, recently reported two controversial, potential treatment options for multiple sclerosis. The first, “liberation therapy,” was conjured by Dr. Paolo Zamboni in…