Editor's Choice Academic Journal Main Category: Multiple Sclerosis Also Included In: Alzheimer's / Dementia Article Date: 31 Jan 2013 - 11:00 PST

Current ratings for: The Protein Klotho Paves The Way For Future Multiple Sclerosis Drugs

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As people begin to age the levels of Klotho in the brain also begin to decrease. They published their findings online in Journal of Neuroscience.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a condition in which the myelin inside the brain and spinal cord becomes damaged, causing demyelination. This can cause the nerve cells in the brain to communicate inefficiently; this can lead to serious physical and cognitive disability.

Signs and symptoms of MS usually begin to appear in young adults; it is more prevalent among women.

The earliest signs of MS begin when the immune system attacks the protective myelin. The researchers found that the Klotho protein is able to produce the necessary proteins vital for the production and maintenance of a healthy myelin, which could reverse the damage caused by MS.

In an abstract in the journal authors said:

We found significant effects of Klotho on oligodendrocyte functions, including induced maturation of rat primary oligodendrocytic progenitor cells (OPCs) in vitro and myelination."

Lead author, Carmela Abraham, PhD, added: "These results taken together indicate that Klotho could become a drug target for multiple sclerosis and other white matter diseases, including AD."

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The Protein Klotho Paves The Way For Future Multiple Sclerosis Drugs