11/19/2022 0 Comments Immune system cells![]() ![]() ![]() Areas of activity are known as lesions (or plaques). This creates inflammation along the nerves where the myelin is being damaged. With MS, damaging immune-system cells (macrophages and other lymphocytes) are able to break through the BBB and enter the CNS, where they begin their attack on the myelin. Known as the blood-brain barrier (BBB), this layer of cells is designed to prevent damaging cells and other substances in the blood (including those that could cause disease) from entering the brain, optic nerves, and spinal cord of the CNS. ![]() In order to reach the nerves within the CNS, the immune system cells and molecules must cross a protective barrier that surrounds the blood vessels. White blood cells circulate in the blood and are produced when the immune system perceives a foreign body and instructs the cells to eliminate it, thereby “protecting” the body. Another type of white blood cell is the macrophage, and this works to ingest and destroy foreign substances. Lymphocytes are a type of white blood cell and play a strong role in the body’s defense system. In order to reach the CNS, these immune-system cells must cross the blood-brain barrier – traveling through the blood vessel wall and into the brain, optic nerves, and spinal cord. With MS, these cells of the immune system are thought to become misdirected and attack the body’s own tissues – in this case, the nerves of the CNS. These renderings of the inside of a blood vessel show normal red blood cells, along with immune-system cells that are designed to fight infection and disease. Examples of other autoimmune diseases include lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. When the body’s own immune system attacks its own tissue, this is referred to as an “ autoimmune disease,” and MS is believed to fall into this category. ![]() This occurs because the immune system is incorrectly identifying the myelin in the CNS as a foreign body. It sends disease-fighting cells into the central nervous system (CNS) that may destroy the body’s own myelin. With multiple sclerosis (MS), the body’s own system of defense, known as the immune system, malfunctions. Myelin allows for the smooth and uninterrupted flow of nerve impulses, which in turn, enables the body to send vital instructions from the brain to the different parts of the body. This covering insulates the nerve fibers, similar to the insulating rubber covering of an electric wire. In a healthy body, nerve fibers (also referred to as “ axons“) have a protective, fatty-rich protein covering known as myelin.
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