I’ve had late onset MS for around 12 years and have tried to keep up to date with research topics but need to know more. I’m not science based but I’m looking for an online course with a title like “ neuroscience for dummies”.
I’m also interested in the relationship between psychology and physiology. I use a lot of positive thinking techniques which help greatly but need to understand the science behind it.
Any suggestions? I’m familiar with Open learn and Future learn but cannot find the right course. Something around GCSE and A level.
Many thanks
Sorry I don’t have any suggestions but you have raised a topic which I think is really interesting especially the positive thinking’. I sort of follow the suggestions put forward in Overcoming MS ( website) on diet, exercise and relaxation in the form of meditation/ mindfulness. Have to admit I can be a bit lazy about following the suggestions but , more generally, there is a lot of information on mindfulness and health especially in terms of reducing stress and anxiety and associated effects on our physiology ( including negative effects on MS). I’m thinking that there must be some sort of synergy between positive thinking and mindfulness/ meditation?
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Many thanks for getting back. I’ve done a lot of research and monitoring relating to my MS. I call it my MS because everyone’s is different. Whilst I carry the faulty, inherited, gene my MS was triggered by a stressful event some 12 years ago. It then left me but has gradually reappeared over the last six years and is affected by everyday stress as in indecision, anxiety, worry and conflict. I have analysed stress into two groups being incoming, bad stress and outgoing good stress as in exercise and achievement and yes, mindfulness etc is part of the good process.
What I’m really interested in is gaining access to some of the ongoing scientific research to understand more of the chemical and biological process in helping to repair myelin damage. Especially the role of Oligodendrocytes and GSK3.
An interesting bit on Stress and Trauma a couple of days ago from MS News Today
https://ms.mooc.utas.edu.au/
I found this course very useful and informative. It is free and you get to see how things work around the world. Next run starts in September with modules released weekly.
I see there are other short self paced courses some of which such as choice of DMT may be less applicable to those of us in the U.K.
Thank you. The courses look good including the one about ageing with MS. Unfortunately that’s very relevant to me! I will definitely try a couple.
Hi,
I’ve taken an interest in research as far as I can - and I’m not an expert on the science. One of the challenges we face is separating reliable from unreliable information. So I always try to look at the source. For example, is it written by an MS specialist neurologist? If so, is this person registered to practice with their national body? And - the hardest point - is this person’s opinion generally accepted, or is he/she a bit of a maverick? Not that mavericks are always wrong, but without expertise, I prefer to stick to the accepted views…
By the way, I think neuroscience might be a bit different from neurology as a specialism. Neurology is perhaps more our end of things.
Having said all that, a few ideas:
ECTRIMS - This is the main European conference on MS, brings together neurologists each year. They have a patients’ day, when they explain recent research in lay terms. There is also the American equivalent, ACTRIMS.
mstranslate.com.au - An Austrlian website that seeks to explain research findings in lay terms.
Neurology Academy - online seminars usually by and for NHS healthcare professionals talking about issues in MS (more treatment than underlying science).
Dr Brandon Baeber on youtube - as far as I can ascertain, he does seem to be a genuine neurologist not just a random chap in white coat. His talks at least come with references.
Lastly, the MS Society itself occasionally runs seminars to update us on research.
I’ve become so interested in all this I’ve just gone back to basics reading GCSE sciences and am going on to A-level!
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Well done for studying GCSE and A level sciences.
There is so much supposed research into MS and neurology generally that it is difficult to home in on both the genuine and the specific.
All our MS are different but I’m now looking specially at demyelination. That is , repair rather than prevention because that’s where I’m currently at. I have stopped any further deterioration and am now looking at repairing previous damage.
There is some very interesting research going on at Glasgow, Edinburgh and especially Cambridge universities into how to increase production of Oligodendrocytes and their precursor cells. I’m trying to contact the lead scientists there to gain access to their results and hopefully to join their trials.
Yes, I think a lot of us on here are interested in particular in things like remyelination, progression independent of relapse and stopping neurodegeneration.
There are a few lectures on Youtube called “stop MS annual lecture”. They are run by the MS society so I think the speakers are going to be well-informed.
If you are interested in clinical trials, are you signed up to the MS registry? You basically donate your data, which you update over time. Researchers can then access it and I think it is used to link people up to trials.
Not that it matters but I noticed your reference to carrying the ‘the faulty inherited gene’. Unfortunately there isn’t an MS gene rather there is some ( unidentified) complex of genes that make us more susceptible to developing MS in the face of ‘environmental’ conditions. Those conditions could be anything. Life would be simpler for MS folk and researchers if there was ‘one or even a few’ genes and recognised environmental triggers .
Yes I am on the MS register but thanks for the reminder and I’ve just updated my information.
The YouTube lectures sound interesting and I will take a look.
In the meantime I’m trying to contact the research team at Cambridge university to see if they have now finished their second project looking at a dual drug trial aimed at stimulating production of OPCs. I’m aware though that age itself hinders natural production of Oligodendrocytes. At 76 I’m on the later side of middle aged!