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Several renowned scientists working on multiple sclerosis (MS) recently joined forces to discuss and highlight the progress and knowledge gaps related to MS research, the prospects of finding a cure for the disease, and a strategy to reduce the burden the disease places on patients.

A series of articles was published by the researchers in the February issue of the Lancet Neurology journal and stress the need for better diagnosis and MS treatments.

Authors from different academic fields who share the same interest in MS research have outlined a state-of-the-art plan for MS investigation and updated information on what causes the disease to progress, its mechanisms, and the development of novel methods to conduct clinical trials..... Read More - http://www.ms-uk.org/MSnews

quote: The authors believe it is crucial to understand what causes the development of progressive MS

Apparently people are waking up, finally.
This is good, this goes in the right direction, the work of the Progressive MS Alliance gets mentioned.

We have learned a few things about MS that should be considered by scientists.

1. From the beginning or possibly before, MS patients have slow (half speed) circulation in their brains.
2. MS patients who have stenosis are likely to have it in their jugulars.
3. There have been at least 2 large randomized blinded studies that showed CCSVI is present in MS and not in normals.
4. MS patients' brains cannot burn enough oxygen. This is done by mitochondria, which may be damaged. so more oxides in slow blood.
6. NO is higher than normal in MS. The result of that may be vascular habituation to being expanded by NO, long-term, due to loss of tone.
7. CCSVI can be safely applied with about a 1/3 chance of success, and may improve some or all MS symptoms

They should update their list of Things We Are Pretty Sure We Know About MS.

If MS research is limited to immunology, there is little chance disease aetiology will ever be understood.

1eye is absolutely right---cerebral circulation time must be considered. Two blinded studies have now corroborated that all pwMS (no matter type of MS, disability, EDSS, or age) have cerebral circulation which is, on average, twice as slow as normals.

The new, burgeoning field of neurocardiology is looking at this connection.
Dr. Mat Daeman is the keynote speaker at the International Society for Neurovascular Disease's conference in March. He is at the Academic Medical Center in Amsterdam--and is publishing on the importance of blood flow and brain health.
He recently published this:

The apparent lack of appreciation of the link between cardiac and brain (dys)function is probably due to monodisciplinary approach by cardiologists and neurologists and by the reductionist approach of modern medical research. Yet it is time for a more integrative view to the heart-brain connection.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3547419/

It's time,
cheer