MS is not an immune system dysfunction, but disease of BBB?

[daisy]

Interesting discussion.

Let's also not forget that heavy metals also cross the Blood brain barrier a

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/quer ... t=Abstract

and have been shown to act via molecular mimicry to normal brain proteins epitopes

http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articl ... id=1241226

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methylmercury

[Chris55]

Chriss you must know alot about ms with all the research u do. Are relapses still happening with spms?, this is what i have and the relapses have stopped.

Robbie sorry for my delay in responding to your question..also for not putting your question in that little white box (I don't know how.)

I can't address SPMS even with all of my research. Once my daughter reaches that stage, I'll share everything I can find on the subject--promise!

[Chris55]

Something else I wondering and you didn't make clear....you feel that the permiable bbb really is the first step in the MS process and NOT just the first step which researchers have identified at this point?

Bob

I have read this many, many, many times in my research. That the permiable BBB is the problem.

[Lyon]

Bob[/i]

I have read this many, many, many times in my research. That the permiable BBB is the problem.

Hi Chris,
I don't doubt that but I'm trying to determine the exact points that Cure was trying to impress.
Thanks,
Bob

[CureOrBust]

(SIMPLIFY!) because I'm trying to understand what you were trying to point out in your original post.

3. That MS is a disease of the bbb

Something else I wondering and you didn't make clear....you feel that the permiable bbb really is the first step in the MS process and NOT just the first step which researchers have identified at this point?

This THREAD (ie line of thought) "believes" that its the BBB that is dysfunctioning, NOT the imune system. Now the million dollar question is why? And the answer to the million dollar question is the first step. Also, the immune system may become deregulated by an effect of the BBB dysfunction.

In simple summary terms. "Current thoughts" are that something happens, the immune system fails (along with the BBB), you get MS. This thread is proposing Something happens, the BBB fails (the immune system is normal, but may fail as a flow on from the effects of the BBB failure), you get MS.

I have read this many, many, many times in my research. That the permiable BBB is the problem.

Yes, there are "many" people who believe this to be the case, HOWEVER, they are FAR outweighed by the research on immune system etc. AND the drugs I see in the market or comming to market are aimed at the immune attack. No one does any measurements directly of the effects of these treatments on the BBB?, or has a treatment specifically aimed at the BBB. It suprises me, specifically when steroids can work so well (short term, and work by closing the BBB), and noone tries to find a long term solution down the same path of action. It really appears lacking to me.

I have seen more research in the past two years on viral possibilities within the CNS than on further understanding of BBB destruction. But Viral connections are as yet unproven, and the BBB permeability is a known FACT (yes its known, but how to stop it is not). As far as I know, there isnt even a direct test that is performed? to determine the permeability of someones BBB. The closest I have herd, is how they use the number of Gandolin enhancing lesions (ie active ones?) to say that the BBB is currently permeable. I am guessing as far as technology goes, creating a radioactive injection (similar to Gandolin) with multiple parts at different sizes, then an mri after a fixed time (to see what / how much of each got through) could possibly be used to show what size of particles are getting through and at what rate; ie measure the BBB's permeability (yes I know this may fail mimicking MS due to the "adhesion molecules" you hear of)