New Canadian study on spontaneous production of myelin - This could help many of us!

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http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-02/uoc-phk021507.php

Public release date: 20-Feb-2007

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Contact: Grady Semmens

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403-220-7722

University of Calgary

Pregnancy hormone key to repairing nerve cell damage

New research offers hope for treatment for multiple sclerosis and

other neurological disorders

The mystery of why multiple sclerosis (MS) tends to go into remission

while women are pregnant may be the secret to overcoming the

devastating neurodegenerative disease, according to University of

Calgary researchers who have shown that a pregnancy-related hormone is

responsible for rebuilding the protective coating around nerve cells.

In a paper to be published in the February 21 issue of The Journal of

Neuroscience, a team of researchers from the U of C's Faculty of

Medicine reports that a study conducted on mice found that the hormone

prolactin encourages the spontaneous production of myelin, the fatty

substance that coats nerve cells and plays a critical role in

transmitting messages in the central nervous system. A collaboration

between the laboratories of Drs. Weiss and V. Wee Yong of the

Hotchkiss Brain Institute, the study is the first to determine that

prolactin, which increases in the body during pregnancy, is directly

responsible for the formation of new myelin in the brains and spinal

cords of pregnant mice. Further, when non-pregnant mice with MS-like

lesions were injected with prolactin, their myelin was also repaired.

The research was based on evidence that MS, which is more common in

women than men, goes into remission when women become pregnant. MS is

a neurodegenerative disease where the body's own immune system attacks

the myelin surrounding nerves, leading to progressive loss of

sensation and movement. MS affects approximately 2.5 million people

worldwide and Canadians have one of the highest rates of the disease

in the world.

" It is thought that during pregnancy, women's immune systems no longer

destroyed the myelin, " said Weiss, director of the Hotchkiss Brain

Institute and senior author of the study. " However, no previous study

has tested whether pregnancy actually results in the production of new

myelin, which may lead to improvement of symptoms. " The paper's

findings represent the first example of a natural, biological

mechanism that produces new myelin in the adult brain and spinal cord

and identifies prolactin as a potential therapeutic substance for

future testing in people with MS.

" Agents promoting remyelination will be beneficial not only for

typical demyelinating diseases like MS, " says Dr. Fred (Rusty) Gage,

of the Salk Institute, " but also for many other neurological

disorders, such as spinal cord injuries and stroke. " Gage, an

international leader in nervous system repair, was not involved in

this study.

Subsequent tests of prolactin in animal models of MS will be required

before testing of prolactin on humans can take place, but MS

researchers are hopeful human trials can take place within the next

several years.

" This discovery has the potential to take MS therapy a step further

than current treatments that stabilize the disease in its early

stages. By promoting repair, which is the goal of prolactin therapy,

we have hope of actually improving symptoms in people with MS, " says

Dr. Luanne Metz, director of the Calgary MS Clinic in the Department

of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Calgary and Calgary Health

Region.

The study, authored by Weiss, Gregg, Viktor Shikar,

Larsen, Gloria Mak, Chojnacki and Yong, compared pregnant and

virgin female mice of the same age and found that pregnant mice had

twice as many myelin-producing cells, called oligodendrocytes, and

continued to generate new ones during pregnancy. By chemically

destroying myelin around nerve cells, the researchers found that

pregnant mice had twice as much new myelin two weeks following the

damage as virgin mice and that introducing prolactin mimicked the

effects of pregnancy on myelin production and repair in mice that

weren't pregnant.

" The results of this study should be well received by people living

with MS today, " said Dr. McIlroy, national medical advisor for

the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada. " It represents a new insight

of how we might be able to reverse some of the effects of the disease

and improve the quality of life for those who live under its

influence. "

###

The study was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and

the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada, with the support of the

Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research and the Stem Cell

Network.

The journal article " White matter plasticity and enhanced

remyelination in the maternal CNS " will be published in the Feb. 21

issue of The Journal of Neuroscience. The journal is published by the

Society for Neuroscience, an organization of more than 36,500 basic

scientists and clinicians who study the brain and nervous system.

Media reporting on the paper is subject to The Journal of Neuroscience

embargo rules, which state that the study is embargoed until February

20, 2007 at 5:00 pm Eastern Time.

Media availability and photo opportunities:

Dr. Weiss, Dr. Wee Yong and members of the Hotchkiss Brain

Institute research team, an MS Society representative and a person

with MS, will be available for media interviews on Tuesday, Feb. 20,

from 9 a.m. until 12 p.m., in Weiss's lab at the Faculty of Medicine's

Health Sciences Centre, 3330 Hospital Drive NW. Report to security to

be directed to the lab. Parking available in Lot 6.

About the Hotchkiss Brain Institute

The Hotchkiss Brain Institute, established by the University of

Calgary and the Calgary Health Region, is dedicated to neurological

and mental health research and education, leading to new discoveries

and their translation into improved patient care. It is the first

research institute of its kind in Western Canada.

About the Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary

The UofC's Faculty of Medicine is a national leader in health research

with an international reputation for excellence and innovation in

health care research, education and delivery. Through its educational

programs, the Faculty of Medicine trains the physicians and scientists

who will lead the next generation of health practitioners. Through its

clinical work, continuing medical education programs, and close

relationship with the Calgary Health Region, the Faculty of Medicine

moves new treatments and diagnostic techniques from the laboratory

bench to the hospital bedside efficiently and effectively, improving

patient care.

About multiple sclerosis and the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic, often disabling disease of the brain

and spinal cord. It is the most common neurological disease of young

adults in Canada. Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages

of 15-40, and the unpredictable effects of MS last for the rest of

their lives. The MS Society provides services to people with MS and

their families and funds research to find the cause and cure. Visit

www.mssociety.ca for more information.

Media contacts:

Wong

National Manager, Media Relations

Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada

Phone: (416) 967-3025

Cell: (416) 575-3025

Email: .wong@...