Perspective abstract
Focus on Glia and Disease
- Focus issue:
- November 2007 Volume 10, No 11
Nature Neuroscience 10, 1351 - 1354 (2007)
Published online: 26 October 2007 | doi:10.1038/nn1995
Dissecting demyelination
Abstract
The loss of central nervous system myelin and the failure of remyelination by oligodendrocytes contribute to the functional impairment that characterizes diseases such as multiple sclerosis. Why myelin repair fails in multiple sclerosis is currently unclear; however, new understanding of the generation of oligodendrocytes and myelination during development, as well as an increasing understanding of the bases of successful remyelination, are providing new insights and therapeutic targets. We propose that successful myelin repair of the adult CNS recapitulates a sequence of stages that generally correlate with those seen during development, whereas unsuccessful myelin repair results from the perturbation of a critical process in any one of several sequential events. Defining the rate-limiting steps and most vulnerable aspects at each stage of myelin repair will provide logical targets for therapeutic intervention in demyelinating diseases such as multiple sclerosis.
- Center for Translational Neuroscience, Department of Neuroscience, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, USA.
- Department of Discovery Biology, Biogen Idec, 14 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, USA.
Correspondence to: Robert H Miller1 e-mail: rhm3@case.edu
MORE ARTICLES LIKE THIS
These links to content published by NPG are automatically generated.
NEWS AND VIEWS
Myelin failure in multiple sclerosis: Breaking the spell of NotchNature Medicine News and Views (01 Oct 2002)
Neuroscience An ageing view of myelin repairNature News and Views (25 Sep 2008)
See all 10 matches for News And ViewsRESEARCH
BOB.1/OBF.1 controls the balance of TH1 and TH2 immune responsesThe EMBO Journal Article (11 Jul 2007)
In vivo time-lapse imaging shows dynamic oligodendrocyte progenitor behavior during zebrafish developmentNature Neuroscience Article
See all 39 matches for Research
