September 28, 2017 News by Alice MelĆ£o, MSc Active Brain Inflammation Helps Cause Anxiety, Depression in RRMS Patients, Study Finds Active brain inflammation appears to be one of the causes driving anxiety and depression in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), finds an Italian study published in the journal Neurology. RRMS is the most common form of the disease when patients are initially diagnosed. Multiple sclerosis patients…
September 22, 2017 News by Alice MelĆ£o, MSc Study Links MIF, D-DT Molecules to Progressive Multiple Sclerosis Development Two molecules known to regulate cellular signaling contribute to the underlying mechanism of progressive multiple sclerosis, found a recent study conducted by investigators at Oregon Health & Science University and Yale University School of Medicine. These two proteins are related to each other, as they participate in the same cellular signaling process that regulate the immune system's response. Previous studies have blamed them for the worsening of several autoimmune and inflammatory disorders including rheumatoid arthritis, systemic sclerosis and systemic lupus erythematosus. The research team found that patients with progressive MS had higher levels of MIF and D-DT proteins than those with the relapsing-remitting form of the disease. In addition, these proteins inflamed the central nervous system, making patients sicker. An analysis of the genes that encode the proteins revealed that higher levels of MIF were linked to the presence of two genetic variants that are more frequent in patients ā particularly males ā with progressive disease. Researchers confirmed their findings with animal models of MS-like disease that were genetically engineered to lack MIF and D-DT proteins. Taken together, this finding suggests that a simple genetic test could identify patients carrying the MIF genetic susceptibility ā and therefore more likely to develop a severe form of MS. This study was partially funded by the National Institutes of Health, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, the Rocky Mountain MS Center Tissue Bank and the U.S Department of Veterans Affairs.
May 2, 2017 News by Alice MelĆ£o, MSc Two Proteins Play Key Roles in Regulating Brain Inflammation, MS-related Study Shows Neuroinflammation is an essential process in the development and progression of several neurodegenerative diseases, including multiple sclerosis (MS), Alzheimerās and Parkinsonās. Researchers from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine have discovered that proteins known as NLRC4 and NLRP3 play key roles in regulating mechanisms involved in brain…
December 8, 2016 News by Alice MelĆ£o, MSc Imbalances in Brain Microbiota May Be Behind Demyelination in MS, Study Says Alterations in microorganisms in the brains of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients could contribute to underlying disease mechanisms, including demyelination, according to researchers. The study, āBrain microbiota disruption within inflammatory demyelinating lesions in multiple sclerosis,ā was published in the journalĀ Scientific Reports. It is widely recognized that the…
June 16, 2016 News by InĆŖs Martins, PhD New PET Tracers May Work to Detect Neuroinflammation in Brains of MS Patients Novel molecular imaging compoundsĀ that detect neuroinflammation in the brain of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients have been developed by researchers at theĀ Washington University School of Medicine in Missouri, andĀ may help to uncover the triggers of such inflammation and to better evaluate new disease treatments. The study, “Development and…
November 18, 2015 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Novel Protein Suppresses MS in Mouse Model, Inhibits Neuroinflammation in Spinal Cord In a recent study entitled āMyelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG35-55)-induced experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis is ameliorated in interleukin-32 alpha transgenic mice,ā a team of researchers investigated whether interleukin (IL)-32, a cytokine with an established role in rheumatoid arthritis, has a protective function in a mouse model of human multiple…
November 4, 2015 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD New Multiple Sclerosis Study Reveals Protein’s Role in Disease Activation In a new study entitled āTranscription factor Nr4a1 couples sympathetic and inflammatory cues in CNS-recruited macrophages to limit neuroinflammation,ā a team of scientists discovered the mechanism by whichĀ autoreactiveĀ T cells are capable of penetrating a patient’sĀ brain and induce multiple sclerosis. The study was recently published in the advance online issue…