Ana Belén Caminero

Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease whose cause was a mystery for a long time, but recent studies have strengthened its link to the Epstein-Barr virus, the cause of mononucleosis, or the kissing disease. The challenge now is to define the exact mechanisms involved, which would help in developing therapies. An international team has identified certain components of the virus that tend to trigger a response in patients, which helps explain the effectiveness of some current treatments and could be helpful in developing vaccines and/or antiviral drugs against the disease. The study is published in Science Translational Medicine.  

Researchers have found specific antibodies in the blood of patients years before they showed symptoms of multiple sclerosis. This group of antibodies was present in 10% of the 250 people who later developed the disease, and were part of a sample of over 10 million US military personnel. The finding could have potential for early detection of multiple sclerosis, says the research team in a paper published in Nature Medicine. 

A Swedish study has found an association between lack of sleep or poor quality sleep during adolescence and an increased risk of developing multiple sclerosis later in life. They put the relative increased risk at 40 %. The results are published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry.