Until now, the causes behind Devic's disease were still unclear. The disease, which resembles multiple sclerosis (MS), has symptoms including paralysis, vision loss and bladder or bowel dysfunctions. The only thing doctors knew about it was that it was triggered by a protein found in the immune system, which behaved erratically, attacking itself and surrounding optical nerves. The spinal cord is also affected in patients with this illness.
The troublesome protein, dubbed NMO-IgG, was linked to the appearance of Devic's disease in most clinical tests. However, the processes the protein underwent remained a mystery until recently, when scientists at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, led by Dr. Vanda Lennon, determined how exactly NMO-IgG works. Apparently, the unusual behavior it exhibits causes toxins to build up in the brain, namely in the spaces between the neurons. One type of toxin, called glutamate, is in fact a neuro-transmitter that is regulated by a specific protein. When that protein binds with NMO-IgG, glutamate is allowed to accumulate in large quantities.
The main effect glutamate has on neurons is to inhibit the production of myelin, the substance that covers neurons and synapses. Without their protective layer, brain cells are especially vulnerable to outside factors, which scientists believe may be the cause for Devic's disease, also called neuromyelitis optica (NMO). If they are correct, the good news is that developing a cure could be a fairly simple process, considering that all scientists have to do is develop a glutamate inhibitor.
Medical conditions such as Lou Gehrig's disease are also linked to excessive glutamate presence in the brain and drugs to stop accumulation are already in development. Lennon's team hopes to be able to successfully extrapolate the active compounds in other medicine, so as to modify them for direct action on NMO symptoms. The main problem they are now facing is moving their research from in-vitro to live subjects. Further vaccine developments will be dependent on their success in this area.
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