This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Knowledge & Support Community

Some years ago, Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) became the first demyelinating disease with a biomarker, the AQP4-IgG

Now it seems that a new biomarker for NMO has been found. It is the anti-MOG antibody and it is specially related to optic neuritis.

Some cases of MS could be in fact this new version of NMO. Get tested if you are in doubt.

http://www.neurology.org/content/84/14_ ... .274.short

Well...I don't know if this is exactly correct. Neuromyelitis optic is actually better charachterized as an astrocytopathy rather than a demyelinating disease. anti-MOG can be seen in typical multiple sclerosis along with other auto-antibodies which may be due to the phenomenon of "epitope spreading" or the development of new antibodies against other epitopes due to the breakdown of the blood brain barrier and exposure of normally isolated epitopes from the peripheral immune system.

Also, there are other auto-antibodies associated with other diseases that can cause demyelination such as gluten encephalopathy, neurological manifestations of sjogren syndrome, or lupus cerebritis. Antiampiphysin and anti-GAD can be associated with cerebellar demyelination.

Anti-MOG is interesting though, and hopefully it will become more commercially available.

I feel as though multiple sclerosis is distinctly different from these other diseases in that it is...

1) clearly polyclonal
2) not strongly associated with autoimmune disease in generaly
3) characterized with a progressive phase in most people with the disease

This suggests that there may be something other than merely autoimmunity driving the disease...particularly the progressive forms of the disease

-C