 |
| Dr Scott Kolbe, senior author on the paper analysing the association between nerve damage and gait impairment in MS patients. |
Findings published in the journal, Brain Communications, have revealed that patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) who had gait and lower limb motor control impairments also had corresponding axonal (parts of nerve cells) loss in major tracts in the brain which control sensing and movement response.
Damage that occurs in MS (e.g. inflammation, demyelination and injury and loss of axons) results in upper and lower motor impairments in the majority of patients with symptoms including problems with balance and walking, muscle weakness and spasticity. These impairments have a considerable impact on their daily living and quality of life, in particular on their employment and study.
