Multiple Sclerosis -
Patient, Doctor and Young Researcher Perspectives.
Last August, I started working at the Montreal Neurological Institute doing research on multiple sclerosis for my science project for this year. I decided to not only use my previous research from the MNI, but to expand my knowledge of MS by finding out more from the perspectives of a patient, a researcher, and of a doctor involved in the MS community.
In this section of the site, you will find interviews I conducted with Maria Mastracchio (a patient with MS), Dr. Amit Bar-Or (a doctor and researcher at the MNI), and Dr. Deborah Radcliffe-Branch (who manages My Tool Box, a program that helps patients afflicted with MS cope with the changes in their lives). In addition, there are also the research and lab papers I had written for my science project. Enjoy!
A Bit about MS
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a myelin specific disease which causes permanent neurological damage and lowers a patient’s life expectancy by 5-10 years. MS is an autoimmune disease occurring when the immune system accidentally targets the myelin as a foreign virus and eats away at it (a process called “demyelination”). This disruption in neuron functionality expresses itself through symptoms such as: loss of balance, speech problems, chronic pain, tingling sensations, muscle spasms, and cognitive impairment. Interestingly, the highest concentrations of MS can be found in the northern hemisphere (Canada having the highest rate), and the reason for this remains unknown. There is no known cure nor understood cause for MS, but it is thought to be a combination of environmental and genetic factors.
A Patient's Perspective, an interview with Maria Mastracchio
My Tool Box - an application that helps patients learn to cope with the pain and trauma of a disease
A Young Researcher's Perspective - my MS proteomics research