Multiple sclerosis is an inflammatory and demyelinating disease of the central nervous system, considered the main cause of neurological disability in young adults, after trauma. Being usually diagnosed between 20 and 40 years of age, it is a fact that symptoms can start much earlier, even in pediatric age, that is, before 18 years old. Indeed, it is estimated that 3-5% of multiple sclerosis cases start in this age group, which raises many research questions: what factors could contribute to such an early onset of a disease that, in addition to a strong inflammatory component, does also have an important degenerative dimension? Is the disease the same, in children and adults? Will it respond to the same type of treatments? How can damage repair be optimized in a developing central nervous system? What implications could this have in adult life? There are several questions that still gravitate toward the concept of pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis, but this is certainly a hot topic for neuroscience.
Theoretical knowledge about pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis has grown in recent years. As a consequence of this, there are already pharmacological treatments approved specifically for this patient population, resulting from clinical trials conducted with children and adolescents. Even so, there are aspects of the pathophysiology of the disease that remain to be unraveled and the so-called risk factors that act on the pediatric population may help to clarify many key aspects of the behavior of the disease in adulthood. Furthermore, damage repair mechanisms may be more effective in pediatric patients, justifying a certain clinical-radiological dissociation that we observe in clinical practice. A better understanding of these mechanisms may be crucial for the development of strategies to promote remyelination and neuroprotection.
Fostering knowledge in this specific area of Neurology is a very interesting investment in something that could contribute to a paradigm shift in the pharmacological treatment of an incurable disease. This Research Topic can therefore be very attractive for those who are dedicated to fundamental research, but also for those who have clinical interests.
This Research Topic aims to bring together knowledge related to research in pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis, whether of a more laboratory or clinical nature. It is intended to be a summary of recent and up-to-date translational knowledge on the topic, which can help to define true avenues of investigation for the future. From the pathophysiology to the epidemiology of the disease, through the risk factors that may affect it to the pharmacological treatment, there will be several aspects that could be included in this aggregating and plural Research Topic.
Additionally, all innovative research that may be related to the concepts of neuroprotection and remyelination, at an early stage of the disease, can be explained here. This is indeed one of the main topics of interest. Original research articles and review articles, in different formats (narrative and systematic, with or without meta-analysis) are welcome.
Multiple sclerosis is an inflammatory and demyelinating disease of the central nervous system, considered the main cause of neurological disability in young adults, after trauma. Being usually diagnosed between 20 and 40 years of age, it is a fact that symptoms can start much earlier, even in pediatric age, that is, before 18 years old. Indeed, it is estimated that 3-5% of multiple sclerosis cases start in this age group, which raises many research questions: what factors could contribute to such an early onset of a disease that, in addition to a strong inflammatory component, does also have an important degenerative dimension? Is the disease the same, in children and adults? Will it respond to the same type of treatments? How can damage repair be optimized in a developing central nervous system? What implications could this have in adult life? There are several questions that still gravitate toward the concept of pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis, but this is certainly a hot topic for neuroscience.
Theoretical knowledge about pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis has grown in recent years. As a consequence of this, there are already pharmacological treatments approved specifically for this patient population, resulting from clinical trials conducted with children and adolescents. Even so, there are aspects of the pathophysiology of the disease that remain to be unraveled and the so-called risk factors that act on the pediatric population may help to clarify many key aspects of the behavior of the disease in adulthood. Furthermore, damage repair mechanisms may be more effective in pediatric patients, justifying a certain clinical-radiological dissociation that we observe in clinical practice. A better understanding of these mechanisms may be crucial for the development of strategies to promote remyelination and neuroprotection.
Fostering knowledge in this specific area of Neurology is a very interesting investment in something that could contribute to a paradigm shift in the pharmacological treatment of an incurable disease. This Research Topic can therefore be very attractive for those who are dedicated to fundamental research, but also for those who have clinical interests.
This Research Topic aims to bring together knowledge related to research in pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis, whether of a more laboratory or clinical nature. It is intended to be a summary of recent and up-to-date translational knowledge on the topic, which can help to define true avenues of investigation for the future. From the pathophysiology to the epidemiology of the disease, through the risk factors that may affect it to the pharmacological treatment, there will be several aspects that could be included in this aggregating and plural Research Topic.
Additionally, all innovative research that may be related to the concepts of neuroprotection and remyelination, at an early stage of the disease, can be explained here. This is indeed one of the main topics of interest. Original research articles and review articles, in different formats (narrative and systematic, with or without meta-analysis) are welcome.