TY  - JOUR
A1  - Rottlaender, Andrea
A1  - Kuerten, Stefanie
T1  - Stepchild or prodigy? Neuroprotection in multiple sclerosis (MS) research
JF  - International Journal of Molecular Sciences
N2  - Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disorder of the central nervous system (CNS) and characterized by the infiltration of immune cells, demyelination and axonal loss. Loss of axons and nerve fiber pathology are widely accepted as correlates of neurological disability. Hence, it is surprising that the development of neuroprotective therapies has been neglected for a long time. A reason for this could be the diversity of the underlying mechanisms, complex changes in nerve fiber pathology and the absence of biomarkers and tools to quantify neuroregenerative processes. Present therapeutic strategies are aimed at modulating or suppressing the immune response, but do not primarily attenuate axonal pathology. Yet, target-oriented neuroprotective strategies are essential for the treatment of MS, especially as severe damage of nerve fibers mostly occurs in the course of disease progression and cannot be impeded by immune modulatory drugs. This review shall depict the need for neuroprotective strategies and elucidate difficulties and opportunities.
KW  - experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis
KW  - white matter
KW  - lesions
KW  - remyelination
KW  - multiple sclerosis
KW  - regeneration
KW  - neuroprotection
KW  - degeneration
KW  - axonal damage
KW  - neurodegeneration
KW  - pathology
KW  - sodium channels
KW  - axonal injury
KW  - central nervous system
Y1  - 2015
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-148416
VL  - 16
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Schampel, Andrea
A1  - Kuerten, Stefanie
T1  - Danger: high voltage - the role of voltage-gated calcium channels in central nervous system pathology
JF  - Cells
N2  - Voltage-gated calcium channels (VGCCs) are widely distributed within the central nervous system (CNS) and presumed to play an important role in the pathophysiology of a broad spectrum of CNS disorders including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease as well as multiple sclerosis. Several calcium channel blockers have been in clinical practice for many years so that their toxicity and side effects are well studied. However, these drugs are primarily used for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases and most if not all effects on brain functions are secondary to peripheral effects on blood pressure and circulation. While the use of calcium channel antagonists for the treatment of CNS diseases therefore still heavily depends on the development of novel strategies to specifically target different channels and channel subunits, this review is meant to provide an impulse to further emphasize the importance of future research towards this goal.
KW  - cells
KW  - calcium
KW  - calcium channel antagonists
KW  - CNS
KW  - EAE
KW  - neurodegeneration
KW  - MS
KW  - regeneration
KW  - remyelination
Y1  - 2017
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-172653
VL  - 6
IS  - 4
ER  -