How does lost nerve cell insulation cause memory problems in MS?

In the brain, nerve cells form circuits which are re-modelled by life experience, allowing us to learn and remember. The nerve fibres that make up these circuits are insulated by cells called oligodendrocytes, which increase the speed of information transfer. In MS, the immune system causes regions of damage called lesions. In these damaged regions, the insulation is lost, slowing or interrupting the movement of electrical signals within and from the brain. However, it is not known how this loss of insulation influences circuit re-modelling in brain lesions or more generally in the brain regions without lesions. Dr Kalina Makowiecki predicts that insulation loss and lesion formation is not only associated with the slowing of the electrical signal, but with other changes to nerve cells and brain circuit re-modelling that would affect a person’s ability to remember and multitask (cognition). Such changes could underpin the cognitive impairments experienced by most people with MS.

This incubator project is complementary to an ongoing postdoctoral fellowship being carried out by Dr Makowiecki. It specifically focuses on using advanced microscopy imaging to monitor what happens to specific cellular structures that form the electrical connections in the brain when insulation is lost. Various laboratory models of insulation loss will be investigated. This will improve our understanding of whether nerve insulation loss can impact brain circuit connections and therefore impair cognition.