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The finding, published online today, lends further support for the concept of adult neurogenesis -- that the human brain can regenerate itself, and in the case of MS, is working to repair itself.

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic disease in which the immune system begins to attack the fatty protective barrier around nerve fibers in the central nervous system. When that area, known as the myelin, is destroyed, the impulses traveling along those pathways from the brain or spinal cord can be slowed, distorted, or cut off completely if the nerve itself is injured.

The researchers examined the brains of nine multiple sclerosis patients who donated their organs after death in the hopes of furthering research on the disease,

"The brain is continuously trying to replace what has been destroyed -- not just myelin, but also neurons," said Bruce Trapp, one of the lead authors on the paper and chair of neurosciences at the Lerner Research Institute............

Fo the full report please go to MSRC: MS Research News : New Discoveries : Nerve and Brain Cell Research