Multiple Sclerosis and thyroid

[Guest guest]

I'm not sure who posted a few days ago indicating that she had MS. I

am going to copy an abstract about thyroid hormone and MS. Basically

thyroid hormone is required for oligodendrocyte maturation and for

myelin repair. Also, it is very common for MS patients to be very

fatigued and often depressed. It is interesting that thyroid hormone

is required to alleviate these symptoms as well.

Another interesting point about thyroid disease and MS is that mercury

can damage the thyroid -but it is also a very powerful neurotoxin.

Please see the abstract below:

Thyroid hormone administration enhances remyelination in chronic

demyelinating inflammatory disease.

Fernandez M, Giuliani A, Pirondi S, D'Intino G, Giardino L, Aloe L,

Levi-Montalcini R, Calzà L

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2004 Nov 16; 101(46): 16363-8

Chronic disabilities in multiple sclerosis are believed to be due to

neuron damage and degeneration, which follow remyelination failure.

Due to the presence of numerous oligodendrocyte precursors inside

demyelination plaques, one reason for demyelination failure could be

the inability of oligodendrocyte precursor cells to turn into

myelinating oligodendrocytes. In this study, we show that thyroid

hormone enhances and accelerates remyelination in an experimental

model of chronic demyelination, i.e., experimental allergic

encephalomyelitis in congenic female Dark Agouti rats immunized with

complete guinea pig spinal cord. Thyroid hormone, when administered

during the acute phase of the disease, increases expression of

platelet-derived growth factor alpha receptor, restores normal levels

of myelin basic protein mRNA and protein, and allows an early and

morphologically competent reassembly of myelin sheaths. Moreover,

thyroid hormone exerts a neuroprotective effect with respect to axonal

pathology.

Winona