Subject: Autoimmunity, Neurologic Disorders, viral triggers

From: Irwin Mortman <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 20 Nov 1996 11:06:08 -0500

~From: Michael Watkins <[email-masked]>
To: "Autoimmune Research" <[email-masked]>
~Subject: Autoimmunity, Neurologic Disorders, viral triggers
~Date: Tue, 19 Nov 1996 21:07:44 +0000
~Reply-to: [email-masked]
~Sender: [email-masked]
MIME-Version: 1.0

This is really fascinating.  See discussion about relationship between
measles and MS and Salmonella and RA.

Autoimmunity Underlies Several Rare Neurological Disorders

 WASHINGTON, DC, Nov 19 (Reuters) - Attendees of the 26th annual meeting
of the Society of Neuroscience listened to a panel of experts who
discussed autoimmunity and neurobiology yesterday.

One of the panelists was Dr. Jerome Posner of Memorial Sloan-Kettering
in New York, who was the first to describe the paraneoplastic syndrome
and to theorize that there may be a link between autoimmune disease and
cancer. Dr. Posner said that certain proteins are shared by both the
central nervous system and some cancers. The body mounts an immune
response to the cancer, but there is an associated immune response to
the CNS proteins. In the case of the paraneoplastic syndrome, Purkinje
cells are damaged causing ataxia, incoordination and other neurologic
disturbances. Neurologic symptoms of the autoimmune disease are often
picked up by clinicians as much as a year before the cancer is
diagnosed, Dr. Posner said, and he speculates that the immune response
that attacks the brain may also keep the cancer under control for a
time.

       Dr. Michele Solimena of Yale described the rare "Stiff-Man
Syndrome," which primarily strikes adult women and which causes severe
muscle rigidity and painful muscle spasms. He pointed out that more
 than 50% of affected patients have insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus,
and he believes there is a link between the two conditions. Dr. Solimena
reported that the autoimmune target in Stiff Man Syndrome is an enzyme
that controls muscle activity; pancreatic cells also produce the same
enzyme.

 Dr. Scott Rodgers of the University of Utah described how the
intractable seizures of Rasmussen's encephalitis, which were previously
only manageable through hemispherectomy, can now be virtually eliminated
by plasmapheresis. Dr. Rodgers says the seizures are caused by
antibodies to neural receptors, which are removed by plasmapheresis.
Although treatment is very effective, Dr. Rodgers  noted that the
effects are not maintained for long, necessitating periodic retreatment.

Dr. Lawrence Steinman of Stanford presented the Society of Neuroscience
audience with more evidence linking multiple sclerosis to the measles
virus and also to human papillomavirus. He also said there is mounting
evidence of a link between gram-negative bacteria such as Salmonella and
the development of rheumatoid arthritis.

Irwin Mortman
Voice 513-891-7359
FAX    513-891-8186
E-Mail [email-masked]
Cincinnati, OH