preview

Multiple Sclerosis : A Degenerative Disease Of The Central Nervous System

Good Essays

Multiple Sclerosis Multiple sclerosis is a degenerative disease of the central nervous system. In multiple sclerosis, the immune system of the body attacks the myelin sheath. Myelin is a fatty substance rich in proteins that surrounds, insulates, and protects the nerve as well as helps to speed up nerve transmissions. Neurons are the basic working part of the brain that transmit messages to other nerves in the body. Every neuron in the central nervous system has a cell body and an axon. An axon is the extension of the cell body that carries messages and it is here that myelin plays its role. Myelin is wrapped around the axon for protection and allows for electrical impulses to be transmitted quickly and efficiently. When the body attacks its own tissues and causes a breakdown in the myelin layer, the nerve impulses that are travelling to and from the brain are altered. Impulses are slowed down, distorted from their original manner, or sometimes interrupted entirely. Over time, multiple sclerosis can cause deterioration of the nerve itself. Multiple sclerosis, often referred to as MS, is called “multiple” for the many areas of the brain that are affected and “sclerosis” for the scarring of tissue and lesions that form on the brain and spinal cord.
The symptoms of MS can vary significantly from one person to another depending on what area of the central nervous system the lesions are present. Some of the most common symptoms are blurring vision, loss of vision, fatigue,

Get Access