Introduction

Multiple Sclerosis is a disease usually beginning in early adulthood and characterized by the loss of the myelin sheaths covering the axons, which causes mis-firing of the nerves and subsequent neurological abnormalities. The mechanism for the demyleination is immunoligical and is believed to be preceeded by an increase in Blood-Brain Barrier (BBB) permeability allowing access to a normally immunologically priviledged area. Lymphocytes and macrophages enter the CNS by transmigration exacerbate the inflammatory process, which becomes chronic, leading to edema and further degeneration of the BBB.

Laboratories Investigating Multiple Sclerosis & the Role of the Blood Brain Barrier

• The Cleveland Clinic's Neuroscience Center
• The Lerner Research Institute's Department of Neurosciences
• Dr. Roger Hurst's Laboratory in the Center for Research in Biomedicine
• Research by Dr. Scott Zamvil at UCSF's Multiple Sclerosis Center