Researchers found that myelin – the protective coating surrounding nerves – undergoes an initial swelling phase when damaged, suggesting it may have the ability to heal itself.
The findings could offer a significant new opportunity to help slow, stop or even prevent the degeneration of nerve cells in multiple sclerosis (MS) and other conditions like Alzheimer's disease, experts say.
Myelin damage
In MS, the immune system attacks myelin in the brain and spinal cord and disrupts messages being sent around the body. This impacts how people move, think and feel. There are currently no treatments that can replace damaged or lost myelin.
The swelling of myelin has been observed previously but not investigated in detail. Researchers thought the reaction was linked to the way brain tissue is preserved in the lab.
Scientists from the MS Society Edinburgh Centre for MS Research at the University of Edinburgh used advanced technology to observe live zebrafish and tissue from mice and humans who lived with MS to follow what happened to damaged myelin over time.
Swelling reaction
They found the swelling is a natural process in the body that can be followed by repair of the damaged myelin, suggesting it could be a critical step in the body’s fight to prevent myelin loss.
The findings indicate that the nervous system has a powerful – and until now unrecognised – ability to withstand early myelin damage, experts suggest.
This offers a potential window of opportunity to intervene before the myelin completely breaks down, they say.
The study, funded by the MS Society and Wellcome Trust, was published in the journal Science.