Source The London Economic: The groundbreaking feat was achieved by destroying a protein that stiffens the organ – much like muscles and joints.

Brain ageing has been reversed for the first time, offering hope of a cure for Alzheimer’s disease and multiple sclerosis, say British scientists.

The groundbreaking feat was achieved by destroying a protein that stiffens the organ – much like muscles and joints.

Just like bones it ‘creaks’ as we get older – impairing the function of stem cells that generate neurons.

Using the brains of rodents, lab tests showed they could be rejuvenated by focusing on oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs).

This is a type of stem cell needed to repair myelin – the fatty insulating material that coats nerve fibres.

In multiple sclerosis this is damaged. The loss of OPCs is also linked to dementia and Parkinson’s disease. Their function even declines with age in healthy people.

The findings published in Nature shed fresh light on the ageing process, report the Cambridge University team. Read on.

Source ITV: Nina, 46, is housed in an old people’s home.

he’s just 46 years old. But Nina Thair has been housed in an old people’s home in Sussex. She has multiple sclerosis – and her local council says there is nowhere else suitable for her.

Nina’s problem – the council’s problem – is that the lack of money for social care, means that residential places are in short supply.

And with nowhere for the needs of younger disabled people in Brighton, the council says this is the only option. John Ryall reports. Watch here.

Source MS Trust: Draft guidance published today on August 8 does not recommend Sativex as a treatment for MS spasticity because it is not a cost-effective treatment.

In November 2018, the legal status of cannabis was amended to allow specialist clinicians to legally prescribe cannabis-derived medicinal products to patients with an exceptional clinical need.

To support this change, NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) has reviewed evidence for the benefits and costs of cannabis-based medicinal products and drawn up guidance for health professionals and the public.   

The draft guideline(link is external) acknowledges that, for people with MS, Sativex can be an effective treatment for MS spasticity which has not responded to other therapies.  However, Sativex is not recommended because, at its current list price, it is not considered to be cost-effective.  The calculations used to reach this decision indicated that Sativex would be cost-effective if the list price was reduced from £375 to £188 per pack.  Read on. 

Source MS Trust: MS Trust supporter Jenna Chudasama teaches at a secondary school in Leicester and recently used the pack to deliver an assembly to students about her own MS experience. “I hope that I inspired others to live their life to the full, no matter what challenges they are faced with,” Jenna tells us.

I was grateful to be given the chance to deliver assemblies at Sir Jonathan North College, the school that I teach at, to explain what it is like to live with an invisible condition.

It was a daunting experience at first as I did not know how my students would react. And, to be honest, I remember questioning my decision when, despite showing a small group of students an MRI scan and explaining how lesions work, someone still said that I looked fine and healthy. However, I was eventually able to help my students understand a little more about the condition by simplifying the terminology, using a lot of my personal experience and the experience of people in the public eye, such as the athlete Kadeena Cox. Interestingly, some of my older students came to tell me that they know someone in their family or a family friend that also lives with the condition and I hope that I was able to offer additional support to them.  Read on.