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Do ‘demyelinating’ diseases involve more than myelin?

Multiple sclerosis and Guillain-Barré syndrome have traditionally been regarded as ‘demyelinating’ disorders. An important lesson of recent studies, however, is that these diseases involve more than damage to myelin, and that ion channels, which are pivotal in neuronal function, may also be important targets in these disorders (pages 808–811).

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Figure 1: Putative mechanisms that interfere with axonal conduction, producing clinical dysfunction in demyelinating diseases.

Bob Crimi

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Waxman, S. Do ‘demyelinating’ diseases involve more than myelin?. Nat Med 6, 738–739 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1038/77450

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