Myelin key to recovery of neurological disorders

LAKEWOOD, COLO. — A study testing the effects of irradiated food led to the discovery that a cat's central nervous system can repair itself.

The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, found that the restoration of myelin, a fatty insulator of nerve fibers, can lead to recovery of central nervous system ailments.

The finding underscores the validity of strategies to re-establish myelin in cases of serious neurological diseases associated with the loss or damage of myelin. The study was prompted when, after three or four months of eating irradiated food, pregnant cats developed progressive neurological disease, explains Dr. Ian Duncan, the UW-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine neuroscientist who led the study.

The cats recovered slowly after the food was removed, suggesting that extensive remyelination can lead to recovery from a severe neurological disorder.