Can you repair myelin sheath

Tiwari-Woodruff reported that IndCl was about 50 percent effective in repairing myelin, protecting nerve fibers, and increasing visual function. Another estrogen receptor modulator, bazedoxifene, which has been shown to promote remyelination in animals is now being tested in humans.

In another mouse study, researchers at the University of California, Irvine discovered that a simple sugar found in human breast milk promotes myelin repair. The results, which were published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry in , showed that delivering the sugar orally to lactating mice activated stem cells which triggered myelination in their nursing infant mice.

Swiss researchers were able to regenerate damaged myelin sheaths and restore nerve-cell function in mice by injecting them with theophylline, an asthma drug. Theophylline speeds up remyelination and helps repair or reduce MS lesions by activating an enzyme called HDAC2, they reported in their July study in Nature Communications. Scientists are also looking at how diet and exercise affect the central nervous system and remyelination.

A study published in Molecular Basis of Disease found that mice on high-fat diets, especially those that were more sedentary, were likely to have fewer myelin-forming cells.

When the mice exercised, they produced more oligodendrocyte progenitor cells and oligodendrocytes, which mitigated some of the harmful effects of an unhealthy diet and enhanced central nervous system function. A study funded by MS Research Australia and published in Nature Communications looked at repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation rTMS , which stimulates electrical activity in certain areas of the brain, in monkeys.

After administering rTMS for two weeks, the researchers saw an increase in the number of new myelin-producing cells in the monkeys' cortex, the outer layer of the brain.

Other studies in animals also suggest that stimulating neuronal activity is important for remyelination. MS researchers like Dr. Bourdette are optimistic about the future. Multiple sclerosis MS is an autoimmune disorder that affects the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerve. It's caused by immune cells and antibodies attacking and destroying the myelin sheath, a coating made of fat and proteins that protects nerves and helps transmit electrical signals.

People with MS experience neurologic symptoms related to the part of the nervous system damaged. For example, if the optic nerves are affected, patients may experience vision problems.

The breadth of symptoms is wide and may include sensory loss, difficulty with coordination and movement, muscle weakness, fatigue, numbness, and bowel and bladder problems. Cognitive symptoms are seen in more than half of people with MS.

During an exacerbation—also known as an attack, relapse, or flare-up—new symptoms may appear or preexisting ones worsen. MS is treated with disease-modifying therapies DMTs , which help control inflammation, reduce the number and severity of relapses, lessen the development of new lesions in the brain and spinal cord, and delay progression of disability.

While DMTs cannot repair existing damage or reduce the number of lesions already present, they can slow damage to the nervous system. To some degree, most DMTs slow the progression of brain shrinkage and brain volume loss. Consistent with this newly identified pro-myelination role for VHL and Nedd4, they saw a dramatic reduction in the levels of VHL or Nedd4 in the post-mortem brain tissues obtained from patients with multiple sclerosis.

Bellen, and Seung-Hee Yoo. Read more. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Email Address. Your email address will not be published. Bourdette said even though it may not help his patients today, he's optimistic the discovery eventually will move from the lab into the clinic.

Original written by Erik Robinson. Note: Content may be edited for style and length. Science News. Although several treatments and medications alleviate the symptoms of MS, there is no cure. Journal Reference : Meredith D. Hartley, Tania Banerji, Ian J. Tagge, Lisa L. Shokat, Margaret J. Ferrara, J. Myelin repair stimulated by CNS-selective thyroid hormone action.

Normally, myelin wraps tightly around the nerve left panel. Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers have shown that if a drug stops the overproduction of ceramide after damage, the restored myelin wraps tightly around the neuron once again right panel. Note: To download the image above, click here. In a new study using mice, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers have found a better way than natural healing to repair damaged insulation surrounding nerve cells.

Over time and after cumulative damage, the myelin ultimately becomes too misshapen to wrap cleanly around the nerve, causing it to lose function.

In their study published on Oct.