Childhood trauma can affect the development and treatment of multiple sclerosis: Study-Edexlive

Trauma caused in childhood children can affect the trajectory of multiple sclerosis development and response to treatment in adulthood. A new study of discovered mice.. Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have found that stressed mice at a young age are more likely to develop autoimmune disease and are less likely to respond to common treatments. However, treatments that activate immune cell receptors reduced the effects of childhood stress in mice. This study was published in the journal “Nature Communications”.

Multiple sclerosis is a progressive autoimmune disease in which the body attacks and strips the protective coating around neurons, causing a variety of neurological symptoms. Both genetic and environmental factors are involved in the development of MS. Makoto Inoue, a professor of comparative biological science in Illinois, has shown that younger trauma is more likely to develop more severe multiple sclerosis, but researchers have been able to identify how. not. In a new study, Inoue’s group studied a mouse model of MS. Mice were genetically susceptible to autoimmune encephalomyelitis, the most widely used model for MS studies.

Researchers observed the onset and progression of EAE in mice that were temporarily separated from their mothers and were injected with salen at an early age and compared to mice that did not experience the same stress. “The mouse I had Childhood trauma The lead author of the study, graduate student Yee Ming Khaw, was susceptible to the development of EAE disease and suffered from long-term motor paralysis with severe nerve damage to the central nervous system. This was found to be due to an increased immune response.

Researchers have traced EAE to receptors on the immune system, especially on immune cells that bind to the stress hormone norepinephrine. Researchers have found that childhood stress in mice caused a long-term release of norepinephrine. Receptors are activated for long periods of time, causing cells to reduce their expression and the immune system to become unprepared to respond to EAE stress and inflammation.

Read again: Studies show that the experience of emotional neglect as a child can affect generations

Importantly, mice that developed EAE after childhood stress did not respond to treatment with interferon beta, one of the most widely prescribed initial treatments for MS patients. Meanwhile, the drug effectively prevented the progression of EAE in stress-free mice in childhood, Khaw said. Next, the researchers treated the mice with compounds that stimulate the receptor response. Treatment prevented paralysis and delayed damage to the spinal cord. In addition, treated mice responded to interferon beta treatment, although previously unresponsive.

“This study suggests that individuals who have experienced childhood trauma may develop autoimmune diseases with significantly different symptoms and mechanisms than their peers who have no history of childhood trauma and may require different treatments. It suggests that there is, “Inoue said. “This receptor activator has the potential to be a treatment for patients with multiple sclerosis who have a history of childhood trauma,” Inoue added.

Next, researchers will examine the mechanism of the receptor and conduct translational studies to see if boosting the receptor in human patients with MS provides the same benefits as mice with EAE. intend to do something. “We believe that the best approach to dealing with autoimmune diseases in individuals with a history of childhood trauma or other risk factors is a comprehensive, personalized medical approach that addresses the entire population. “We do,” said Inoue.