First, there was the General Discussion posting from Lyon on October 30, 2006, of the History of MS brochure by the NMSS which said,
Quote:
Because most MS damage occurs around blood vessels, it seemed reasonable that a toxin circulating in the bloodstream leaked out into the brain, even though no researcher could find a trace of it.
Then, I read the Paul Le Gac papers from the Wheldon site which stated,
Quote:
In point of fact, thanks to the work of Dejerine [1], we know that multiple sclerosis is a chronic, diffuse, and interstitial myelitis, in which the irritative process begins with the vascular element. The vessels are the seat of periarteritis and of endoarteritis. Their wall thickens and their lumen is constricted until, in the region of the capillaries, it is almost completely closed. Dejerine himself actually wondered whether these vascular infiltrations, which constitute the most significant manifestations of medullar involvement, might be the only histo-pathological lesions that can explain the genesis of multiple sclerosis.
Then, I read the abstract by researchers at Louisiana State University that proposed that MS is a vascular disease.
Now, in the Boston Cure interview with Daniel Pelletier that Shayk posted here I found this paragraph VERY interesting:
Quote:
Well, recently we've seen with MRI studies that there are blood perfusion abnormalities in active, acute MS plaques. Specifically, blood flow is increased in these areas. The idea that MS has something to do with the blood vessels and blood flow is new to me, and I'm not sure what it means.
I certainly hope that more researchers are looking in the direction of the blood vessels! By the way, I believe I've read that insulin thickens smooth muscles; aren't they around the blood vessels?
And just now I read bromley's posting of an abstract from the MS Society in the UK which stated:
Quote:
MS results in intense inflammation within the brain and spinal cord, and there is increasing evidence that this can directly cause conduction and neurological deficits. This PhD project explores the hypothesis that the deficits arise because the nerve fibres passing through inflammatory lesions are relatively starved of oxygen and glucose. The hypothesis is strongly supported by historical evidence, currently largely forgotten, that drugs that open blood vessels (e.g. amyl nitrite) can restore function in MS within an hour. This study proposes to explore the mechanisms underlying such phenomena using several different experimental inflammatory and/or demyelinating models, focusing on the oxygen concentration within the lesions.
Again, I found the sentence, "
The hypothesis is strongly supported by historical evidence, currently largely forgotten, that drugs that open blood vessels (e. g., amyl nitrite) can restore function in MS within an hour." VERY interesting!!! Maybe this work will lead researchers to start looking in the right "box of keys."
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) of having one done when I am not sure if any effect of the medication would even be apparent yet. And then there is the whole concept of MRIs being only loosely correlated with progression and/or disability.