A Brief Introduction to Myelin
Multiple
sclerosis (MS) attacks the fatty protective coating of nerve fibers in the
central nervous system called myelin. Even people without MS experience myelin
decay as young as 39 years old. The first sign of myelin breaking down is a
loss of speed of reflexes, for most people it’s not noticeable until they reach
middle age or beyond. The next evidence of myelin breakdown is that balance can
falter, shaking can begin, and coordination and memory begin to work more
poorly.
Myelin
plays a crucial role in the ability to function and remember information, and myelin
is attacked in more diseases than just multiple sclerosis. For example, myelin
is a key element of Guillan-Barre syndrome when a minor infection triggers the
body attacking itself, causing muscle weakness and paralysis, and also in
transverse myelitis, when an inflammation of the spinal cord damages myelin
there. There are several organizations founded to fund myelin research, looking
for a cure for demyelinating disease. The Myelin
Repair Foundation encourages collaboration between scientists in separate
labs. The goal of the group is to discover how to repair myelin, often through
drugs that can result in quicker, more effective treatment of multiple
sclerosis in order to end the suffering of the disease. The work may lead to
therapies that will aid victims of other diseases including Alzheimer’s,
Parkinson’s, and ALS. The Foundation hopes to launch clinical trials in 2014,
and to provide a therapeutic approach to repairing myelin by 2019. http://www.myelinrepair.org/
Another
such organization is The Myelin Project.
Founded in 1989, the organization funds research grants. In 2001, the Project
funded the transplantation of myelin-forming cells into the brain of someone
with multiple sclerosis. The procedure did not trigger myelin production or
symptomatic change. http://www.myelin.org/home.html
How
do you help your body fight myelin decay? There are a lot of supplements that
could help. One thing emphasized on some sites is that without sufficient
vitamin C, your body can’t move nutrients to the brain. If you do decide to
take a vitamin C supplement, make sure it is buffered, so it doesn’t make you
more acidic. We’ll talk about more things that can aid in growing new myelin in
the next blog instalment.
