About Multiple Sclerosis
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What is multiple sclerosis? Multiple Sclerosis ( MS ) is a disease of the central nervous system ( CNS ) – the brain, spinal cord, and the optic nerves, which causes damage to myelin and axons.
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The nerve cell is called a neuron. The dendrite picks up signals which travel along the axon , ending at the axon terminal. The axon is covered with an insulating layer of myelin . |
Nerves in the CNS are covered with a nerve-insulating protein called myelin. Multiple Sclerosis is thought to involve an attack on this protective myelin by the body’s own immune system. This leaves “sclerotic” patches of scar tissue (these lesions are called plaques). The nerve fiber itself, called an axon, can also be damaged. When myelin or the axon is damaged or destroyed, conduction of nervous impulses along nerve fibers is disrupted, producing the symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis.
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