Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an acquired demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS) that typically is diagnosed in the second or third decade of life. Normally, nerves are enclosed in myelin sheaths that help facilitate transmission of nerve impulses within the CNS and the peripheral nervous system throughout the body. In patients with MS, the myelin sheath is damaged and eventually degenerates, causing patches of scar tissue called plaques or lesions to occur anywhere randomly on the myelin sheath (Ruto, 2013). This results in impaired nerve conductivity, which interferes with message transmission between the brain and the other parts of the body. As a result, impulse transmission is altered, distorted, short-circuited, …show more content…
Pathophysiology
Multiple sclerosis is characterized by inflammation, demyelination, and axonal damage in the brain and spinal cord with a loss of myelin that covers the axons. As the myelin sheath regenerates, scar tissue forms, which looks like plaques on magnetic resonance imaging scans. Multiple sclerosis arises when immune-mediated inflammation activates T cells and causes the T cells and immune mediators to cross the blood-brain barriers into the CNS and attack oligodendrocytes (ie, a type of neuroglial cell with dendritic projections that coil around axons of neural cells). When the oligodendrocytes are attacked, the myelin sheath is replaced by scar tissue, which forms throughout the CNS. As a result of damage to the myelin sheath, the ability to transmit and conduct nerve impulses along the spinal cord and in the brain is interrupted, leading to muscle weakness, fatigue, loss of coordination, balance impairment, and cognitive and visual disturbance (DeLuca & Nocentini, 2011). This disease is characterized by unpredictable remissions that occur over several years. During periods of remission, the myelin sheath usually regenerates and symptoms may resolve, but the myelin cannot be completely repaired. As the disease progresses, the myelin sheath is destroyed and nerve impulses become much slower or absent and symptoms worsen. When degeneration exceeds self-repair ability, permanent disability results. There are four defined clinical types of
Multiple sclerosis (MS) involves an autoimmune process that develops when a previous viral insult to the nervous system has occurred in a genetically susceptible individual. B lymphocytes, plasma cells, and activated T cells, along with proinflammatory cytokines, cause inflammation, oligodendrocyte injury and demyelination. Early inflammation and demyelination lead to irreversible axonal
Multiple sclerosis, also known as MS, is one of humankind’s most mysterious diseases. No one knows the exact cause and there is no exact treatment. Still multiple sclerosis has the ability to affect nearly 3 million people worldwide and at least 500,000 people in the United States (Boroch). This disease tends to be more common in individuals of northern European descent and women are more than twice as likely to develop multiple sclerosis as men. Of those 3 million people, most of them are between the ages of 20 and 50 years old (Dangond). Even though multiple sclerosis is a mystery disease, scientists are working to determine the exact cause and treatment.
b. Support: In 2007, it was reported that approximately 2.5 million people in the world have MS.
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a neurologic disease that affects the Central Nervous System (CNS) through cellular immune response and the demyelination of CNS white matter (McCance et al., 2014, pp. 630–633). The initial causes of MS are unknown however, it is believed that it could possibly be due to an immune response to an initiating infection or an autoimmune response to CNS antigens on the myelin itself (Brück, 2005) (Miljković and Spasojević, 2013). MS is a result of the degradation of the myelin sheath surrounding neurons and therefore disrupts the transmission of action potentials along these cells. MS can display itself in the form of symptoms ranging from muscle weakness to trouble with sensation and coordination (NHS, 2016). The degradation of myelin leads the body to attempt to remyelinate the neurons, a process that in turn leads to the thickening of the cell by glial cells and this causes lesions to form (Chari, 2007). It is this thickening (sclerae) from which the disease gets its name. Sufferers of MS can either have a relapsing type of MS, in which there are episodes that lead to the worsening of symptoms for a period of time, or a progressive type of MS where symptoms gradually progress and worsen (McCance et al., 2014, pp. 630–633).
The central nervous system (CNS) comprises grey matter, which contains neuron cell bodies and white matter, which contains the nerve axons. Most of the nerve axons are concentrically wrapped around by lipid-rich biological membrane, known as the myelin sheath. In the CNS, myelin is produced by oligodendrocyte. a type of glial cell. (Pfeiffer et al., 1993). These electrical insulating, multilamellar membranes significantly increase the electrical resistance, in which to prevent leakage of electrical currents from the axons, as well as decrease electrical capacitance to reduce the ability of the axons to store electrical energy (Shivane &
Multiple sclerosis is a chronic, progressive neurological disease affecting all aspects of life: physical, cognitive, emotional, and social (Abma). It is known as an autoimmune disease, Where the body’s immune system turns against the body and destroys the protective covering that surrounds nerve cells. This damage to the nerve cells causes many problems for the patient including weakness, muscle stiffness, poor coordination and balance, tingling, numbness, tremors, blurred vision, slurred speech, and memory and concentration problems (Bren)
As a senior this year, I am looking forward to several endeavors, such as leading my team in my last year of cheerleading, participating in a Senior Engineering Design Project, and continuing to volunteer with VSVS, a program that allows Vanderbilt student to teach science lessons in local elementary schools. Moreover, I spent this past summer working on my research at the Vanderbilt Institute of Imaging Science and will continue my projects throughout the school year. I am excitingly close to finishing the project I have been working on that involves a magnetic resonance imaging study of patients with multiple sclerosis. We have employed quantitative magnetization transfer techniques at 7-Tesla field strength to obtain indices reflective
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system. MS affects approximately 3.0 million people globally, with about 300,000 cases in the United States. Twice as many women as men have MS. The average ages for onset of MS is 20-40 years. In MS, cells in the immune system attack and destroy myelin, the fatty tissue surrounding nerve cells (http://www.phylomed.com/MS.html). Scar tissue replaces the myelin, interfering with the transmission of nerve signals and leading to numbness, fatigue, spasticity, loss of muscle control, and various other debilitating symptoms. There are four broad theories
Multiple sclerosis, or MS, is a disease of the central nervous system. The central nervous system is made up of the brain and spinal cord. Both have nerve fibers that are wrapped in a myelin sheath. In MS, the myelin sheath becomes inflamed and gradually is destroyed. With the destruction of the myelin sheath comes an array of symptoms that may include numbness or tingling, balance problems, weakness, muscle spasms, and blurred vision.
Multiple Sclerosis is a disease that attacks the myelin coating over the nerve receptors in your brain and spinal cord. Myelin is a fatty material that coats and protects the nerves in your brain. These nerves send signals to the rest of your body enabling
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) a disease which the immune system attacks the protective sheath also known as the myelin that covers the nerves. Damages myelin disrupts the communication between the brain and the rest of the body. The nerves itself may weaken, process that is currently irreversible.
Multiple Sclerosis, commonly known as MS is an autoimmune disease of the central nervous system. Scientists have been studying MS since the 19th century. In MS, the body’s immune system produces cells and antibodies that attack myelin in your brain which is essential for the nerves in your brain and spinal cord to conduct electricity to perform its function. The attack on myelin results in vison loss, paralysis, numbness, muscle weakness, difficulty walking, stiffness, spasms, and bladder and bowel problems. MS has varying degrees of severity and affects people between the ages of 20-50, mostly women. Although there are treatments, there is no cause and cure yet.
“Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease in which your immune system attacks the protective sheath (myelin) that covers your nerves” (Mayo Clinic). The immune system is a defensive system that protects your body from diseases and illnesses such as parasites and bacteria (Science Museum). Not only does your immune system defend the human body but also the immune system can work against the body, which is known as autoimmune disease. Since the immune system is working against your body to attack the myelin, this creates an opportunity for multiple sclerosis to invade the nerves in the central nervous system (CNS). The myelin within the body acts like insulation to protect and coat the nervous system (National Multiple Sclerosis Society). Once the myelin is eroded, the nerves become exposed which then causes signals to and from the brain to become distorted or irrupted causing a wide range of symptoms to occur (National Multiple Sclerosis Society). The effect of the myelin eroding is an irreversible process (Mayo Clinic). “The damaged myelin forms scar tissue (sclerosis), which
Multiple sclerosis, commonly known as MS, is an auto-immune disease. An auto-immune disease is one in which the body attacks itself. In this particular disease, the central nervous system is being attacked. Specifically, the myelin sheath, or the fatty substance that coats and protects nerve fibers in the brain and spinal cord, is attacked. The attacks cause scar tissue, which makes it difficult for signals to travel between the brain and body. Eventually, the nerves may deteriorate, which is a process that is completely irreversible [5]. See the figure below for more detail.
Multiple Sclerosis is an autoimmune disorder where the myelin sheath within the Central Nervous System is attacked (National Multiple Sclerosis Society, 2017). The myelin sheath protects the axon of the nerve cell. When the myelin sheath is intact, the axon is able to carry impulses away from the neuron’s cell body, and the message carried is clear. With Multiple Sclerosis, the myelin sheath becomes scarred, hence the word “sclerosis”, and distorts the nerve impulses traveling over the CNS (National Multiple Sclerosis Society, 2017). This may cause the message to be changed or stopped altogether.