Findings identify molecular signaling pathway that could enhance current MS treatments.
For decades, scientists have noted an intriguing similarity between a deficiency in vitamin B12 – an essential nutrient that supports healthy development and functioning of the central nervous system (CNS) – and multiple sclerosis (MS), a chronic disease in which the body’s immune system attacks the CNS and which can produce neurodegeneration.
Both vitamin B12 (also known as cobalamin) deficiency and MS produce similar neurological symptoms, including numbness or tingling in hands and feet, vision loss, difficulty walking or speaking normally and cognitive dysfunction, such as problems with memory.
New Study Reveals Molecular Link
In a new study, published online on December 8, 2023, in DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.113545
Additional authors on the study include Deepa Jonnalagadda, Manisha Ray, Clayton Ellington and Richard Rivera, all at Sanford Burnham Prebys, Aran Groves, Sanford Burnham Prebys and UC San Diego; Arjun Saha, University of Southern California; Hyeon-Cheol Lee-Okada and Takehiko Yokomizo, Juntendo University; Tomomi Furihata, Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Sciences; Edward V. Quadros, SUNY-Downstate Medical Center.
The study was supported by a grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke at the