Like Alzheimer’s, Multiple Sclerosis is a neurodegenerative disease.
Neurodegeneration is the progressive loss of structure or function of neurons, including death of neurons. Many neurodegenerative diseases – including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and Huntington’s disease – occur as a result of neurodegenerative processes. Such diseases are incurable, resulting in progressive degeneration and/or death of neuron cells. As research progresses, many similarities appear that relate these diseases to one another on a sub-cellular level.
First, everyone needs to know that starting at the age of 40, your brain will shrink about 5% every 10 years. This is a normal part of the aging process, just like wrinkles in you skin, gray in your hair our brains show signs of aging. Once a person reaches the age of 60 the atrophy becomes a little quicker.
People with neurodegenerative diseases will experience more atrophy at a faster rate. Atrophy of the brain happens with neuron cell death, and the connections between those neurons.
High Dose Biotin (300mg) has been shown in several studies to help slow down atrophy in MS brains. This B vitamin is considered safe to take at high doses because your body does not store this and just gets rid of any extra. The recommended daily dose is 30mcg for normal, healthy people. It is thought that high dose biotin can help repair the damaged myelin around the damaged neurons. Studies are happening around the world for Primary Progressive and Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis and how high dose biotin can possibly slow the progression of the disease and assist with pain, energy, vision and partial paralysis.
In Alzheimer’s patients, low hippocampal volume is the marker before any other symptoms show. In MS patients the atrophy does not stick to one particular area of the brain. Since brain atrophy causes diminished communication between neurons, and myelin break down does the same it’s not really surprising that atrophy is increased in those with MS and causes more disability progression.
A paper published this year regarding a study of healthy individuals and MS patients looked at the lateral ventricular volume and white matter volume in similar age groups. The study showed that in people with MS showed that of the groups, 30-69 year old patients had increased lateral ventricular volume compared to “healthy” people. In addition, MS patients showed decrease in white matter volume for groups between the ages of 20-59 years of age.
Excitingly, there is software now that can automatically takes these measurements during the annual MRIs most of us MS patients get. At my local MS Center they use NeuroQuant software and the report is automatically saved on the disc with images when I leave with it the same day. NeuroSTREAM is just one of the other options, there are a couple others and with new technology advances I am excited to see what comes next.
I personally, have the last 4 years of my measurement reports and I keep them in my bullet journal I use to track symptoms, activities, and daily health stats like temp, blood pressure and others.
Not everyone is going to want to have this information and will just let their healthcare professionals give them the information they feel is valid, and that is completely okay. Personally, I love the information, I like having it ready and it gives me time to process the information and form educational questions that I feel are valid.
High-Dose Biotin May Be an Effective Treatment for Progressive MS
https://www.mstrust.org.uk/a-z/md1003-biotin
https://www.mstrust.org.uk/news/news-about-ms/high-dose-biotin-withdrawn-european-licensing
https://www.healthline.com/health/brain-atrophy
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/31074192/
Brain Atrophy in MS Patients May Soon Be More Easily and Routinely Examined
Life of Atarah 