Research for M.S. ( Relevance to T.N??)

Brain and nerves
1

Has anyone heard anything about the new research into stem cells for M.S. As I understand it bone marrow is taken from the patient. They are then given chemotherapy to reduce the immune system which gives nerves a chance to regenerate. The bone marrow is then replaced. I may have some of these facts wrong as I heard it only briefly on T.V. I know some patients with M.S are prone to T.N. and I wondered if any of this might be of relevance to those of us with the disease.  Gill

2

a friend of mine has MS and TN

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Hi Chris, I met a lady (during research into pain in T.N. ) who also had T.N and M.S. . And we think er're unlucky!

4

Embryonic stem cells won’t remove the pesky branch of the cerebellar artery which is wrapping around and/or compressing the root of the Trigeminal nerve - which is the cause of what’s generally known as “typical” TN type 1. Not sure what these cells might do to other parts of the nerve sheath and in other TN-related syndromes, but it seems unlikely to encourage restricted myelin regeneration. But - you never know! We might be surprised, I’ll have a hunt around the Med literature........and report back. 

Cheers

Big D 

5

Hi There,

Thanks so much for your reply.  From what you and my neurologist both say, I have  ' Typical Type ! '.,  so not a lot of hope in my case. I also understood that the sheath of my nerve was damaged by the compression between the nerve and artery, so what you're saying makes a lot of sense in my case. Please do carry on your research. Any port in the storm gives us hope and ' hope springs eternal.....'.

  Thanks again, Gill

6

This reminded me of something I came across recently.  There's a company (Regenexx) that uses stem cells and blood growth factors in the treatment of various conditions, including nerve repair.

Such a treatment could one day be used to help repair facial nerves.  It wouldn't address the root cause if there's nerve compression, but regular treatment could keep the nerve moderately healthy.

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7

Hello There,

Many thanks for response

.Your comments agree with what I understand from another contributor to this site. It does seem that this treatment would not help those with nerve compression. Another disappointed then.We can only hope that eventually medical research can find a solution for those of us who suffer from this dreadful condition.

8

A quick point - there’s no support for  repeated stem cell treatment or “regular” use would have any positive effects in the several neuro conditions tested do far. In fact there could be contraindications. Best approach, as always, is to follow the path of evidence-based medicine. 

Good luck everyone 

Keep safe

Big D