Comments on: Neuro-immunologic Perspectives of MS http://www.unitedspinal.org/publications/msqr/2007/08/17/neuro-immunologic-perspectives-of-ms/ A publication of United Spinal Association and the CMSC/North American Research Committee on MS Tue, 06 Jan 2009 19:05:48 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Rob Swenson http://www.unitedspinal.org/publications/msqr/2007/08/17/neuro-immunologic-perspectives-of-ms/#comment-6581 Rob Swenson Tue, 08 Apr 2008 20:40:22 +0000 http://www.unitedspinal.org/publications/msqr/?p=213#comment-6581 Has there been any research into ruling out possible causes of demylination? I am wondering if there is a link between MS demylination and ALS demylination. In the ALS model, made famous by the show "Lorenzo's Oil" the cause is an excess of long chain fatty acids in the blood cause the body to attack fat in the brain. Is it possible that something like a macrophage is attempting to remove the fat and it sends a signal to lukenocytes to help with the fat, which in turn attack the myelin (presumably having a similar fat "signature" to the excess long chain fats (and no such match for the myelin in the periphery created by Schwann cells))? I am wondering why lukenocytes would cross the blood brain barrier, and a call from some other cell seems like one possibility. Please let me know if you have a link to literature along these lines. Regards, Rob Swenson rswenson@everestkc.net Has there been any research into ruling out possible causes of demylination? I am wondering if there is a link between MS demylination and ALS demylination. In the ALS model, made famous by the show “Lorenzo’s Oil” the cause is an excess of long chain fatty acids in the blood cause the body to attack fat in the brain. Is it possible that something like a macrophage is attempting to remove the fat and it sends a signal to lukenocytes to help with the fat, which in turn attack the myelin (presumably having a similar fat “signature” to the excess long chain fats (and no such match for the myelin in the periphery created by Schwann cells))? I am wondering why lukenocytes would cross the blood brain barrier, and a call from some other cell seems like one possibility. Please let me know if you have a link to literature along these lines.

Regards,
Rob Swenson
rswenson@everestkc.net

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