1932

Abstract

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory-mediated demyelinating disease of the human central nervous system. The clinical disease course is variable, usually starts with reversible episodes of neurological disability in the third or fourth decade of life, and transforms into a disease of continuous and irreversible neurological decline by the sixth or seventh decade. We review data that support neurodegeneration as the major cause of irreversible neurological disability in MS patients. We question whether inflammatory demyelination is primary or secondary in the disease process and discuss the challenges of elucidating the cause of MS and developing therapies that will delay or prevent the irreversible and progressive neurological decline that most MS patients endure.

Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1146/annurev.neuro.30.051606.094313
2008-07-21
2024-03-28
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

/content/journals/10.1146/annurev.neuro.30.051606.094313
Loading
/content/journals/10.1146/annurev.neuro.30.051606.094313
Loading

Data & Media loading...

  • Article Type: Review Article
This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a Success
Invalid data
An Error Occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error