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[Apparelyzed]

Pregnancy may ease MS

Hormone linked to remission

Multiple sclerosis haunted Calgarian Dianne Rogers in the form of a large white spot that floated across her vision like a ghost.

But her blurred eyesight -- and some other symptoms brought on by MS -- temporarily cleared up in 2004 when she became pregnant.

"I could see again," said Rogers, 37, who suffered a major relapse of the disease shortly after giving birth to a daughter.

Experts have long known that MS often goes into remission during pregnancy.

And on Tuesday, Calgary researchers announced they have discovered part of the explanation for the phenomenon: a hormone produced in expectant moms appears to repair damage done by the disease.

In today's edition of the Journal of Neuroscience, University of Calgary scientists report the pregnancy-related hormone prolactin restores the coating surrounding nerve cells, which is destroyed in patients suffering from MS.

The research, conducted on mice, could lead to new treatments for the autoimmune disease. Current therapies focus on controlling MS, but don't repair damage that has occurred.

"These are hopeful times for MS treatment," said Dr. Wee Young, a neuroscientist and co-author of the University of Calgary study.

"We have a new insight on how to repair lesions that already exist."

The most common neurological disease among young adults in the country, MS attacks the coating of insulation around nerves, known as myelin.

The attacks degenerate the myelin, creating lesions that disrupt nervous system messages -- damaging everything from eyesight to mobility.

While previous research has focused on what role pregnancy plays in stopping the immune system attacks, the team of Calgary researchers discovered that pregnancy was also associated with the production of new nerve coating.

They found twice as much myelin repair in pregnant female mice with spinal cord injuries compared with non-pregnant females of the same age. Suspecting that prolactin was boosting the cell production, they found that giving the hormone to mice that weren't pregnant also repaired the nerve coating.

"We've identified the first molecule that could be administered for repair of MS-like lesions," said Dr. Samuel Weiss, director of the Hotchkiss Brain Institute in Calgary.

The scientists hope repairing the myelin will restore lost function in MS patients, although research has not yet proven this to be true.

Weiss said the study's findings are also promising for the treatment of other conditions where myelin is affected, including spinal cord injury.

The Calgary team recently began further tests with prolactin on mice to determine whether there are any drawbacks associated with the hormone and whether it can be administered with existing MS medications that target the immune system.

Experts called the research "very significant," but cautioned patients not to expect a cure for the disease in the immediate future, noting the study was conducted on mice.

"Other things have looked promising in animals but have not panned out in humans," said Dr. William McIlroy, a neurologist at the University of Toronto.

Although any treatments that may result from the research are still years away, the study still offers hope for MS patients like Rogers. "If it works in humans as it did in mice, it's a godsend," said Rogers, who suffers extreme fatigue and other effects of the disease.

http://www.canada.co...88-24ac21e5828c