In an article published today in the prestigious journal Science, a team of researchers led by Dr Alexander Prat and postgraduate fellow Jorge Alvarez at the University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre (CRCHUM) sheds light on how the blood-brain-barrier (BBB) works to prevent the incursion of the immune system into the brain. "Our findings provide a better understanding of the mechanisms used by the brain in mounting a natural defence against immune system aggression, as is the case in Multiple Sclerosis" explains Dr Prat.
There is no known cure for this auto-immune disease of the central nervous system (CNS). One of the characteristics of this debilitating disease is the inability of the BBB to restrict and control the passage of immune cells into the brain. This intrusion of the body's immune system into the brain affects the ability of neurons in the brain and in the spinal cord to communicate efficiently with one another, producing extensive and recurrent central nervous system damage....Read More - http://www.msrc.co.uk/index.cfm/fuseact ... ageid/1846
