By the time patients start seeking care for multiple sclerosis (MS), the disease has already been damaging their brains for years. But until recently, scientists didn’t understand which brain cells were being targeted or when the injury began.
Multiple sclerosis, which affects around one in 500 people in Switzerland, is an autoimmune disease in which immune cells attack the central nervous system, causing irreversible damage. Current treatments involve blocking the immune system to prevent i…
Neuroinflammation is linked to a host of detrimental brain disorders, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. A collaborative research team from Houston Methodist and Rice University has developed a way to fight back with a tiny, bioengineered s…
Healing from any injury involves a delicate balance between scarring and inflammation—two processes that can wreak havoc as well as make repairs.
Inflammation in the brain is usually seen as harmful in the aging process—it’s thought to contribute to Alzheimer’s and dementia. But a new study in mice suggests that inflammation, led by an immune molecule called STING (stimulator of interferon genes…
An evolving form of therapy to treat devastating neurodegenerative disorders by injecting fresh immune cells—microglia—directly into the brain, promises a new lease on health by slowing the progression of mind-robbing conditions.
Tay-Sachs and Sandhoff diseases, genetic disorders affecting the brain, have no effective treatment and are typically fatal within the first years of life.
It often starts with restless sleep. Mobility, swallowing, and speaking disorders are also typical. Yet a range of other symptoms make it difficult to diagnose anti-IgLON5 disease. Left untreated, this rare autoimmune disease leads to severe disabiliti…
The itching, redness and swelling of an allergic reaction are caused by mast cells—the vigilant first responders of the immune system that spring into action with histamine-filled granules in response to a perceived threat.
Researchers led by the University of Geneva and École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne report that neural anticipation of virtual infection triggers an immune response through activation of innate lymphoid cells.
