Neurologist, Lawrence Steinman, M.D., and his team at Stanford University have come up with promising studies regarding MS through the study of what causes Alzheimer’s.
A-beta, or beta amyloid, is believed to be the main cause of Alzheimer’s Disease, but after research and testing by Dr. Steinman, A-Beta has shown signs of stopping nerve damage in mice that have an artificial form of MS. When injecting this protein into these mice, there were cases of the muscle paralysis in the mice being prevented and even reversed.
The study was published on August 1st in Science Translational Medicine. The team had hypothesized that the A-beta protein would enhance MS symptoms if it were injected outside of the brain. It turns out the team found opposite results.
One of the major reasons A-beta became useful was the placement of the protein. It is thought to be detrimental to neurons within the central nervous system, but benign within the blood stream. The mice were injected in the abdomen with this protein which then lessened the severity or even reversed the severity of the MS symptoms.
Injecting A-beta into the bloodstream did not cause any build up of the protein in the brain, thus suggesting that Alzheimer’s would not be developed if A-beta were injected. This is a promising development for MS patients everywhere. This is one step further to finding a cure for this autoimmune disease.
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