By Dr Jessica Fletcher and Dr Susan Northfield, University of Melbourne
Your brain runs on electricity. And, like electrical wires, your nervous system needs insulation. These nerves are covered by an insulating sheath called myelin that is vital to the normal functioning of our nervous system.
But for those people affected by diseases like Multiple Sclerosis (MS), this insulating myelin is destroyed by the immune system – leading to significant nerve dysfunction as well as slowed or blocked nerve conduction between the brain and the rest of the body.
In MS, insulating myelin is destroyed by the immune system which leads to nerve dysfunction. Picture: Shutterstock
MS affects the lives of more than 25,000 Australians and more than two million people around the world. While most people are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 40, according to MS Australia, the disease can also affect younger and older people. Around three times more women than men are diagnosed.
Finding new ways to regenerate myelin and prevent nerve death is key to revolutionising treatments for people with multiple sclerosis, and our research focuses on how the nervous system develops to find a new way to enhance myelin regeneration in the brain.
ENHANCING MYELIN REGENERATION
To understand some of these developments, it’s important to understand Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF). BDNF is a growth factor with neuroprotective properties – this means it supports the growth and health of your brain cells.
It also promotes myelin formation during brain development, known as myelination.
In the context of myelination, BDNF acts through a partner, or receptor protein on the surface of myelin producing cells which is called TrkB. This receptor is expressed by myelin producing cells known as oligodendrocytes. By stimulating the TrkB cell on oligodendrocytes we can improve the restoration of myelin after its destruction in the brain.
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