Myelin News and Research

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Myelin is the fatty substance that covers and protects nerves.

Scientists discover new mechanism controlling multiple sclerosis risk

While the DNA sequence remains the same throughout a person's life, the expression of the encoded genes may change with time and contribute to disease development in genetically predisposed individuals.

19 Jun 2018

Disintegrating brain lesions could predict disease progression in MS patients

For decades, clinicians treating multiple sclerosis have interpreted the appearance of new or expanding brain lesions on magnetic resonance imaging scans as a sign that a patient's disease is getting worse.

5 Jun 2018

Researchers reveal stimulatory effects of myelin on young neural cells

Recovery after severe spinal cord injury is notoriously fraught, with permanent paralysis often the result. In recent years, researchers have increasingly turned to stem cell-based therapies as a potential method for repairing and replacing damaged nerve cells.

24 May 2018

Study: Different strains of same protein may contribute to different Parkinson's-related brain disorders

Different Parkinson's-related brain disorders, called synucleionpathies, are characterized by misfolded proteins embedded in cells.

10 May 2018

Scientists discover how protein molecules regulate formation of myelin sheaths

According to the Deutsche Multiple Sklerose Gesellschaft, around 200,000 people in Germany suffer from multiple sclerosis- a serious neurological condition that has no known cure.

8 May 2018

Study identifies molecule that may be critical to repair of white matter

A new study identifies a molecule that may be critical to the repair of white matter, the fatty tissue wrapped around parts of brain cells that helps speed up communication. Damage to white matter is associated with several conditions, including multiple sclerosis and cerebral palsy, and can occur in the brains of preterm babies.

7 May 2018

Novel disease model for ALS and MS can be used to develop new immunotherapies

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have developed a new disease model for neurodegenerative diseases such as ALS and MS that can be used to develop new immunotherapies. The model is described in a publication in the scientific journal Nature Immunology.

16 Apr 2018

New brain cells are added in elderly adult brains too

Scientists have long debated the fact that brains change with age and no new brain cells or neurons are added once an adult is fully grown. With age the number of neurons begins to decline leading to several problems with memory and cognition.

6 Apr 2018

Choline intake during pregnancy increases brain grey and white matter in young pigs

Choline intake during pregnancy can influence infant metabolism and brain development, according to a series of studies from the University of Illinois. Although the role of choline in neurodevelopment has been studied before in rodents, the new research, done with pigs, has more relevance to humans.

27 Mar 2018

Study elucidates underlying cause of brain injury in stroke

New research shows how the novel drug QNZ-46 can help to lessen the effects of excess release of glutamate in the brain - the main cause of brain injury in stroke.

15 Mar 2018

Researchers identify B immune cells that promote axon myelination in developing neurons

Neurons are specialized cells of the nervous system that communicate using electrical signals, which propagate down long, wire-like projections called axons. The conduction of these signals requires myelin, a fatty substance that surrounds axons in much the same way that plastic coating surrounds an electrical wire.

13 Mar 2018

Early microstructural changes can help predict long-term recovery from spinal cord injury

A trauma to the spinal cord, quickly leads to a progressive loss of nerve tissue. This not only affects the injured area, but over time affects also other parts of the spinal cord and even the brain.

9 Mar 2018

Surprise discovery may lead potential treatment for multiple sclerosis

A surprise finding by medical scientists may lead to the development of a possible treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS).

9 Mar 2018

Research reveals neuroprotective mechanisms of gene and cell medications for spinal cord injuries

A joint paper with Kazan State Medical University appeared in Stem Cells International. The research was based at the Gene and Cell Technologies Lab of Kazan University.

8 Mar 2018

Young men recovering from flu have increased risk of developing Guillain-Barré syndrome

This year's flu season has been one of the worst in recent memory causing thousands of people to be hospitalized. The virus can be particularly dangerous for young men who can experience nerve damage caused by the body's response to the flu.

2 Mar 2018

Researchers successfully graft human neural stem cells into monkeys with spinal cord injuries

Led by researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine, a diverse team of neuroscientists and surgeons successfully grafted human neural progenitor cells into rhesus monkeys with spinal cord injuries.

27 Feb 2018

TUM scientists observe formation of myelin sheaths around nerve fibers

Nerve fibers are surrounded by a myelin sheath. Scientists at the Technical University of Munich have now made the first-ever "live" observations of how this protective layer is formed.

15 Feb 2018

Scientists suggest new strategy to inhibit untreatable, deadly nerve sheath tumors

Genomic profiling of mostly untreatable and deadly nerve sheath tumors led scientists to test a possible therapeutic strategy that inhibited tumor growth in lab tests on human tumor cells and mouse models, according to research in the journal Cancer Cell.

13 Feb 2018

Experimental molecular therapy restores insulation on peripheral nerves in mice

When the body attacks its own healthy tissues in an autoimmune disease, peripheral nerve damage handicaps people and causes persistent neuropathic pain when insulation on healing nerves doesn't fully regenerate.

12 Feb 2018

Popular allergy drug may reduce relapses in patients with neuromyelitis optica

The addition of cetirizine (the popular allergy medication sold under the brand name Zyrtec) to standard therapy is safe, well-tolerated, and may reduce relapses in patients with neuromyelitis optica (NMO), a rare and severe disease that causes inflammation and demyelination (damage to the myelin - the protective coating of nerve cells), primarily in the optic nerve (optic neuritis), spinal cord (myelitis), and brainstem.

2 Feb 2018