Multiple+Sclerosis

Multiple Sclerosis Colleen Carter University of New Hampshire at Manchester cgs24@wildcats.unh.edu

Multiple Sclerosis is an autoimmune disease affecting the central nervous system. This degenerative disease is caused by damage to the myelin sheath surrounding nerve cells. As the myelin sheaths become more and more deteriorated, the nerve signals become slower or stop. This nerve tissue damage causes issues throughout the entire body: slow motor functions, brain functions causing instability, and even problems within the intestinal systems. The disease is usually diagnosed between the ages of 20 to 40 years old. Many different researchers try to link the direct cause of multiple sclerosis, and as time passes with technology constantly improving, many different factors are becoming apparent. Osteopontin (OPN) is a proinflammatory molecule that is currently suggested to be involved with MS development and evolution. The OPN transcript was found abundantly in plaques dissected from brains of patients with MS.