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Repairing insulation around neurons may offer new treatment opportunity for neurodegenerative disease

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A new study led by Prof Veronique Miron (UK DRI at Edinburgh) has found that astrocytes, a key support cell in the brain, may play a beneficial role in repairing the myelin that surrounds neurons, which is damaged in multiple sclerosis (MS). Researchers say the findings also have important consequences in ageing and for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, where myelin is also damaged. The study is published in Nature Communications.

MS is an auto-immune condition that causes damage to myelin, the protective coating around neurons in the brain and spinal cord. It leads to a range of symptoms such as blurred vision, and issues with balance, memory and thinking.

Prof Miron and her team have been exploring the star-shaped brain cells, astrocytes, for years. Now, they have found astrocytes could help myelin repair if certain properties are boosted.

The role of astrocytes in myelin repair has previously been unclear, so we were excited to discover they have a critical role in supporting the survival of myelin-making cells. Prof Veronique Miron, Group Leader at the UK DRI at Edinburgh

What did they find?

The team used mice with an MS-like condition to investigate the role of astrocytes in myelin repair. Their main findings were:

  1. During myelin repair, astrocytes help keep repairing oligodendrocytes, the cells that produce myelin, alive by supplying them with cholesterol.
  2. Just by boosting the cholesterol-giving properties of astrocytes with drugs, the team could improve myelin repair in an experimental model.

Prof Miron explained:

"The role of astrocytes in myelin repair has previously been unclear, so we were excited to discover they have a critical role in supporting the survival of myelin-making cells. We showed that it is possible to target this protective function with drugs, and we believe this could complement existing strategies aimed at enhancing the production of new oligodendrocytes – now we can also keep these cells alive.”

Why is this important?

Treatments are urgently needed for neurodegenerative diseases and this new insight offers promising leads for the development of new therapeutics. In addition to MS, myelin repair is also known to fail as we age, and during the progression of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. This study could lead to new therapeutic strategies to support myelin health in many contexts.

Reference: Molina-Gonzalez I, Holloway RK, Jiwaji Z, Dando O, Kent SA, Emelianova K, Lloyd AF, Forbes LH, Mahmood A, Skripuletz T, Gudi V, Febery JA, Johnson JA, Fowler JH, Kuhlmann T, Williams A, Chandran S, Stangel M, Howden AJM, Hardingham GE, Miron VE. Astrocyte-oligodendrocyte interaction regulates central nervous system regeneration. Nat Commun. 2023 Jun 8;14(1):3372. doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-39046-8.

Source: MS Society

Article published: 22 June 2023