Free Service For Any MS Patient

[bchap]

My name is Ben Chappell, and I am currently researching possible new treatments for multiple sclerosis patients. My Dad was diagnosed with a condition similar to MS several years ago, and since I have been interested in bettering the treatment available for MS patients. I have found new research that suggest MS may actually allow patients to perform better than they could have before they had MS in certain activities. For example certain patients may gain an attention to detail that could help them in art, while others can learn skills like perfect pitch that could help them become better musicians. The important part is finding the right activity for each patient. I think that finding an activity that interest patients is essential to treatment, so I want to help patients find hobbies that fit their diagnosis. This works because the lesions found in MS patients can inhibit higher neuronal functions allowing them to access information from their senses or memory that a normal person could not. For example lets take a patient that has lesions in the areas of the brain responsible for processing visual information. Then lets say this patient and someone without MS are asked to draw a sphere. The normal person’s brain would see the shape, shading, and texture of the object, and process all of this information concluding that the object is a sphere. The act of processing this visual information is the type of activity that could be inhibited in an MS patient. So now lets take a look at the MS patient. He or she looks at the object and may not be able to tell you that it is a sphere. Rather, he or she just sees the texture, shape, and shading on the object, and for this reason could draw it in much better detail. This process is very similar to the remarkable skills seen in many autistic savants.
I want to provide a free service to any willing member of this forum. With a few bits of information from a patient's medical record, I could produce a list of activities that the patient may do well in. I think that finding activities in which a patient is not held back by MS is a great way to stay motivated in treatment. If you or a family member is interested in my project, or you want any additional information, please send me a message.

Sources:
http://www.centreforthemind.com/images/savantskills.pdf An experiment with temporary lesions and skill in drawing and proofreading

http://brain.oxfordjournals.org/content/134/6/1591.long A similar experiment with temporary lesions and measured neuroplasticity

http://dana.org/Cerebrum/Default.aspx?id=39481 An article about myelination closing critical periods

Email: bchapp444@gmail.com