Multiple sclerosis movement and balance problems cause identified, can help cure other autoimmune disease

                                                                  

 Multiple sclerosis (MS) movement and balance problems cause identified and it can help cure other autoimmune diseases. The researchers found what they call a faulty “brake” in the immune cells. This “brake” should be controlling inflammation – but it doesn’t. The new findings could also be useful in development of new targeted therapies for other autoimmune diseases as well.

Additionally, the study produced new research models for multiple sclerosis symptoms like movement and balance problems – which could be used as effective tools for better understanding multiple sclerosis.

The researchers uncovered a mutation in the gene NIrp12 that puts immune T cells out of order. Under normal circumstances, a protein in T cells acts as a brake for inflammatory response. A mutation in NIrp12 disrupts this process, triggering severe inflammation.

Surprisingly, the inflammation did not onset the paralysis, characteristic of MS, but it did trigger other multiple sclerosis symptoms, like movement and balance control problems.

Researcher John Lukens said, “It’s important to note that MS is a spectrum disorder – some patients present with paralyzing conditions and some patients don’t. Not everybody’s symptoms are the same, so this might give us a glimpse into the etiology or pathogenesis of that family of MS,”

Blocking the inflammatory response may help find a way to control these symptoms and inform further therapy developments.

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