MS damages the protective myelin coating around nerve fibres, disrupting brain communication.
In MS, high levels of inflammation are thought to cause the death of myelin-producing cells in the brain called oligodendrocytes.
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), is a non-invasive brain therapy already approved for depression treatment.
Associate Professor Jennifer Rodger’s team previously showed how TMS has effects that might also benefit people with MS.
Using laboratory models, the team found that repetitive TMS (rTMS) increases the number of myelin-producing cells (oligodendrocytes) in the brain without requiring additional cell production.
rTMS specifically helps these oligodendrocytes survive longer and mature faster, but we don’t know how it has this effect.
To understand how rTMS is having this effect, this project examined the direct effects of magnetic stimulation on oligodendrocytes.
In the laboratory, oligodendrocytes directly respond to magnetic stimulation by increasing their internal calcium levels.
Importantly, the team discovered that they respond more strongly to stimulation at 1 Hz frequency compared to previously studied frequencies, suggesting this specific pattern may offer enhanced therapeutic benefits for MS patients.
Since rTMS is already proven safe and is available in Australia as a treatment for depression, positive findings could rapidly translate to MS treatment.
This approach represents a promising potential therapy that could help restore myelin in MS patients, addressing a fundamental aspect of the disease that current treatments do not adequately target.
As part of this project, the team also engaged with the MS community via MSWA, to discuss the project.
As a result of the positive response from this community conversation, the team has obtained ethics approval to hold focus groups with people with MS and their carers to formally study their perceptions of using brain stimulation in MS.
The focus groups will guide future research directions and ensure that the research is relevant and address the priorities of people with MS and their carers.
Updated 31 March 2025
$25,000
2023
2 years
Current project
