New evidence was discovered about insulating cells that may be significant to people who suffer from Alzheimer's disease and multiple sclerosis. Insulating cells can be produced and added to the central nervous system.

Insulating cells in singular form can support the health and function of multiple nerve cells. The loss of insulating cells causes nerve cells to become extremely vulnerable to damage and death. This occurence of nerve-cell loss is visible in multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer's disease. 

"Previously it was thought that most insulating cells in an adult brain were born before reaching adulthood. This research shows that new insulating cells are made from an immature cell type found in our brains, called oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs)," said Dr. Kaylene Young of Menzies Research Institute Tasmania, chief investigator on the paper.

Dr. Young's research team is looking into ways to replicate the natural ability OPCs have to make new insulating cells and repair the damaged nerve cells seen in the brain of Alzheimer's disease patients. As Dr. Young explained, this would be an ideal approach. Since OPCs are found throughout all regions of the brain, they are always available as needed to create new insulating cells.

"In fact, new insulation is added to brain circuits every day, which changes the way the circuits function. This finding may have important implications for sufferers of Alzheimer's Disease, multiple sclerosis and other neurological disorders," said Dr. Young.

Many nerve cells die in Alzheimer's disease and this causes patients to lose their ability to remember things and think clearly. It also affects coordination and movement, making it difficult for them to perform daily tasks. Studying the brain scans of Alzheimer's disease patients, researchers found that the more damaged insulation cells were, the more severe an individual's memory loss was.

"We expect that increasing brain insulation, to re-wrap the nerve cells, will prevent more nerve cells from dying. Protecting nerve cells would prevent the rapid mental deterioration seen in people after they are diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease," said Dr. Young.

The research comes from the University of Tasmania in Australia with help from researchers in Japan and the UK, and was published in this month's international journal, Neuron.