Notwithstanding the fact that medical science has been grappling with MS for over 100 years, knowledge about MS causes remains somewhat murky. The causes of multiple sclerosis are not as straightforward to identify as, say, the causes of Down’s syndrome or of Lyme disease. The former is identified in a straightforward manner- as a chromosomal condition that results from the presence of all or part of an additional copy of chromosome 21 in the cells. The latter is a bacterial infection that is typically spread by tick bites.

As for multiple sclerosis, it is not possible to point at one single factor, genetic or environmental, and to claim that that is the definitive cause of the condition in a particular individual. Rather, one can suggest that the individual is genetically predisposed towards developing MS by pointing to changes in a particular area of chromosome 6. One can then talk about …

A lack of communication between the brain and the body is one of the main causes of Multiple Sclerosis. As for the causes of MS symptoms, the location of lesions is what dictates the types of symptoms displayed. The brain and the body are unable to communicate with one another when the myelin sheath is damaged on the outside of nerve cells. MS is an autoimmune disease, which means the immune system attacks the body and causes damage. Sometimes the myelin sheath can repair itself, if the damage is minimal. The outer covering on nerve cells is how signals are transmitted back and forth between the body and the brain, once these signals are no longer able to be received; a number of bodily functions are compromised.

MRI scans can locate current and past damage to nerve cells, but sometimes the disease must be present for quite some time …