Multiple sclerosis and stress.

Beth Rapaport, MD Steven Karceski, MD WHAT WAS THE STUDY ABOUT? Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic disease of the CNS. The exact cause of MS is not known. However, this is a very active area of research. In MS, the immune system attacks the brain and spinal cord, causing areas of tissue damage, or lesions. Typically, the lesions are seen on MRI. In some instances, the lesions are “silent,” meaning that the person was not aware that there was a problem. Other times, a lesion may cause a neurologic deficit like weakness or numbness. Just as scientists do not understand the cause of MS, they also do not fully understand what causes the MS lesion. Are there triggers for developing new lesions? Prior studies suggested that MS lesions occur more often after a stressful life event. Other studies showed that people with MS had fewer attacks (also called exacerbations) when they coped well with their stress.