What happens to myelin in people who suffer from multiple sclerosis?

Answer 1

Multiple Sclerosis is caused by an autoimmune response which causes the immune system to attack the myelin sheath surrounding nerve fibers in the central nervous system (CNS). The immune system will attack and destroy myelin, leaving in its place hard, plaque-like scars (called scleroses) where nerve signal transmission is decreased, causing the symptoms of the disease.

This explains the name "multiple sclerosis," which means "many scars."

Answer 2

To explain what myelin is, I'm going to ask you first to picture a regular electric cable.

Now, visualize the thin "wire" that runs inside the plastic cover.

Think of the copper filament that facilitates electrical conductivity as your nerves and the plastic cover that insulates the wire, as the myelin.

In addition to protecting the nerves, it also helps to speed up the impulses traveling through the nervous system from the brain to different parts of your body.

Answer 3

When the myelin breaks down in "multiple sclerosis" the resulting symptoms include numbness or tingling sensations causing by the disruption of sensory nerve cell signals that should otherwise reach the brain. Multiple sclerosis is also characterized by problems with voluntary, coordinated movement, owing to the breakdown of myelin that sports motor nerves. ( Mark Krause and Daniel Corts Pg. 86)

Diana Cortes

Answer 4

Myelin sheath get inflammation due to the reason that in auto immune disease, immune system starts rejecting particular organ or a tissue by producing antibodies.

Answer 5

well,

I DONT KNOW