MS Queensland

Researchers in the United States have discovered a link between an environmental toxin and the development of multiple sclerosis.

Riyi Shi, a medical doctor and professor of neuroscience at Purdue University in Indiana found acrolein, found in air pollutants like auto exhaust and tobacco smoke, could be partially responsible for causing MS.

Nerve cells are insulated with myelin, and when a person has MS, the myelin is dismantled and the nerve fibers are damaged. Researchers believe acrolein is responsible for the dismantling of the myelin as well as inducing the creation of free radicals, which are compounds that cause further injury to tissues that are already damaged due to trauma or disease.

Read more