March 25, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Myelin Health Depends on Steady Supply of Lipids, Study Suggests Continuous production of fatty molecules (lipids) is crucial to the maintenance of the myelin sheath that wraps nerve fibers to protect them, ensuring the transmission of electrical impulses between nerve cells, a study reported. These findings may have strong implications for treating disorders caused by myelin loss, including…
January 22, 2020 News by Vanessa Pataia Blood Fats Affect Artery Size in People with MS, Study Finds A new study has found a link between the amount of fat in the blood and changes to the arteries surrounding the necks and skulls of people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The finding was described in the study āLipoprotein(a) Levels Are Associated with the…
July 18, 2019 News by Ana Pena PhD Specific Lipids in Cerebrospinal Fluid of Progressive MS Patients Rob Neurons of Energy, Study Finds The cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of people with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) contains elevated levels of specific fatty molecules that disrupt the energy “powerhouses” of nerve cells, and appear to underlie the neurodegeneration seen on brain scans of these patients, a study reveals. The research, which compared the CSF…
December 3, 2018 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: MRI Dyes, Lipids and MS, Gilenya Advisory, Possible Stem Cell Trial Artificial Intelligence May Help Reduce Dosage of Gadolinium in MRIs, Researchers Suggest There’s been concernĀ recently about the accumulation of gadolinium in the brains of people who’ve had MRIs. Gadolinium is the dye that’s used to provide the “contrast” that can highlight lesions in the brain that might…
November 28, 2018 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD High Lipid Levels Associated with Increased Disability, Inflammation in RRMS Patients, Study Shows High levels of certain lipids, or fat, in the blood are linked to increased disability scores and high levels of pro-inflammatory markers inĀ relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients, a small study reports. The study, āLipoprotein markers associated with disability from multiple sclerosis,ā was published in the journal Scientific…
September 30, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Instability of Myelin Membranes May Be True Trigger of MS, Study Reports In multiple sclerosis (MS), scientists have long believed that the body’s own immune systemĀ attacked myelin sheaths,Ā the “insulating tape” that surrounds neurons, causingĀ the disease. But researchers at Tel Aviv University are challenging that view, inĀ a study reporting that MS may in fact be triggeredĀ byĀ an instability inherent in the myelin membranes. The…
August 3, 2016 News by InĆŖs Martins, PhD Cornell Scientists Tag and Track Lipid Signaling in Cells, a Possible Force in MS Development Understanding lipid signaling in multiple sclerosis (MS) may be the key to developing more effective therapies for the disease. New work by researchers atĀ Cornell UniversityĀ couldĀ bring us closer to unraveling the role of lipids in MSĀ development. Lipids are fat molecules that compose the cellular membranes and surround each organelle inside…
February 10, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD MS Study Finds Lipid Antibodies Reflect Changes in Brain Volume and Lesions Brigham and Womenās HospitalĀ researchers reported that antibodies directed at lipids are associated with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measures of brain degenerationĀ in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), and may potentially serve asĀ biomarkers for monitoring disease status. While the hyperintense brain lesions detected by MRI are crucial for diagnosis and therapeutic…
November 11, 2015 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Potential MS Therapeutic Targets Found in Plasma Metabolites In a new study entitled āUntargeted plasma metabolomics identifies endogenous metabolite with drug-like properties in chronic animal model of multiple sclerosis,ā a team of researchers performed a comparative analysis of metabolites between control mice and a mouse model with experimental autoimmune encephalitis (EAE, the most commonly used…