A demyelinating disease is any disease of the nervous system in which the myelin sheath of neurons is damaged. This impairs the conduction of signals in the affected nerves, causing impairment in sensation, movement, cognition, or other functions depending on which nerves are involved. This article is about the medical term. ... The Human Nervous System. ... Myelin is an electrically insulating phospholipid layer that surrounds the axons of many neurons. ... Drawing by Santiago Ramón y Cajal of neurons in the pigeon cerebellum. ...

The term describes the effect of the disease, rather than its cause; some demyelinating diseases are caused by genetics, some by infectious agents, some by autoimmune reactions, and some by unknown factors. Organo-phosphates, a class of chemicals which are the active ingredients in commercial insecticides such as sheep dip, weed-killers, and flea treatment preparations for pets, etc, will also demyelinate nerves. This article is about the general scientific term. ... An infection is the detrimental colonization of a host organism by a foreign species. ... Autoimmune diseases arise from an overactive immune response of the body against substances and tissues normally present in the body. ...

Demyelinating diseases of the central nervous system include multiple sclerosis (together with the similar diseases called idiopathic inflammatory demyelinating diseases), transverse myelitis, Devic's Syndrome and progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy. Demyelinating diseases of the peripheral nervous system include Guillain-Barré syndrome, chronic inflammatory demyelinating neuropathy and anti-MAG peripheral neuropathy. A diagram showing the CNS: 1. ... Idiopathic Inflammatory Demyelinating Diseases (IIDDs), sometimes known as Borderline forms of multiple sclerosis[1], is a collection of multiple sclerosis variants, sometimes considered different diseases[2]. The list of these diseases depends of the author, but usually are included: Optic-spinal MS and neuromyelitis optica (NMO or Devics disease... Transverse myelitis is a neurological disorder caused by a loss of the myelin encasing the spinal cord, also known as demyelination. ... This article is about the viral disease. ... The Peripheral nervous system resides or extends outside the CNS central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord) to serve the limbs and organs. ... Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) (IPA pronunciation: is an acute, autoimmune, polyradiculoneuropathy affecting the peripheral nervous system, usually triggered by an acute infectious process. ...

See also

• Multiple sclerosis borderline
• The Lesion Project (multiple sclerosis)
• The Myelin Project

This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Since long time ago, it was noticed that some forms of MS were special. ... The Myelin Project is a medical project intended to re-generate the nerves myelin sheath, — a process called remyelination — destroyed in a host of diseases such as multiple sclerosis and the leukodystrophies. ...

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