Multiple Sclerosis Research Paper

1146 Words5 Pages

Multiple Sclerosis is an autoimmune disease that damages the myelin covering on the nerves. The myelin sheath usually protects the axons and speeds the transmission between nerve cells, so the demyelination of nerves causes interruption or loss of signals from the brain to the body, often making movement and speech difficult as well as causing mild to extreme pain. Other symptoms of multiple sclerosis include fatigue, loss of bladder control, mood swings, and a number of others. Effects of multiple sclerosis vary from patient to patient. Some deteriorate rapidly, while others may experience the effects of MS much more slowly. The causes of multiple sclerosis are not known for sure. Some doctors have guessed that it comes from environmental …show more content…

This protects the brain from foreign substances as well as hormones and neurotransmitters that can be damaging to the brain which maintains the constant environment that the brain needs. In MS patients, however, the breakdown of the blood-brain barrier allows too many white blood cells into the cranial cavity. These leukocytes then attack the insulation between nerve cells, leading to the characteristic loss the myelin sheath in patients with multiple …show more content…

Findings indicated a “robust and consistent partitioning of infiltration inflammatory cells in different parts of expanding MS lesions, with most B cells, T cells, and plasma cells located in recently demyelinated tissue.” (Henderson et al 745). B cells and T cells are both parts of the body’s natural immune response. They work together to form antibodies to fend off invading diseases in the body. Similarly, plasma cells are specific B cells that can form only one type of antibody. This study indicates that the leukocytes attack, engulf, and destroy the damaged or dead myelin, leading to the demyelination of the nerve cells characteristic of multiple sclerosis. After this takes place, the B cells, T cells, and plasma cells accumulate in large numbers around the lesions and form the antibodies. Although this does not completely stop the expansion of the lesions, it does slow down the process to an