Stepchild or Prodigy? Neuroprotection in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Research

TL;DR

This review highlights the importance of developing neuroprotective therapies for multiple sclerosis, as current treatments focus on the immune system and not on protecting nerve fibers.

Contribution

The paper emphasizes the need for target-oriented neuroprotective strategies in MS treatment.

Findings

Current MS therapies focus on immune modulation rather than neuroprotection.

Axonal damage correlates with neurological disability in MS.

Neuroprotective strategies are essential for treating progressive MS.

Abstract

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disorder of the central nervous system (CNS) and characterized by the infiltration of immune cells, demyelination and axonal loss. Loss of axons and nerve fiber pathology are widely accepted as correlates of neurological disability. Hence, it is surprising that the development of neuroprotective therapies has been neglected for a long time. A reason for this could be the diversity of the underlying mechanisms, complex changes in nerve fiber pathology and the absence of biomarkers and tools to quantify neuroregenerative processes. Present therapeutic strategies are aimed at modulating or suppressing the immune response, but do not primarily attenuate axonal pathology. Yet, target-oriented neuroprotective strategies are essential for the treatment of MS, especially as severe damage of nerve fibers mostly occurs in the course of disease progression and cannot be impeded by immune modulatory drugs. This review shall depict the need for neuroprotective strategies and elucidate difficulties and opportunities.

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