Hi, I have multiple schlerosis, have had for about 9 years. My question is, I have recently been through a very bad time,(insanity), but have been back for a year and a half. My daughter believes I have brain damage from the m.s. but only to do with my mental health. I have never heard of this, does this happen, and isit common?

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory disease of the Central Nervous System (CNS) - that's the brain and spinal cord. Predominantly, it is a disease of the "white matter" tissue. The white matter is made up of nerve fibres which are responsible for transmitting communication signals both internally within the CNS and between the CNS and the nerves supplying rest of the body.

In people affected by MS, patches of damage called plaques or lesions appear in seemingly random areas of the CNS white matter. At the site of a lesion, a nerve insulating material, called myelin, is lost. I shall explain this process in more detail later. Clinically, MS is a hard condition to characterise because it is very unpredictable and variable. Depending on which areas of the CNS are affected and how badly they are damaged, the type and severity of symptoms can vary greatly.

No two people get MS in exactly the same way and the expression of each individual's disease is as unique as their fingerprints. However, the different courses of the disease, both within an individual and within the whole population, principally differ in their timing, location and severity. Underneath similar processes (including demyelination and sometimes other forms of nerve degeneration) are going on.

Although recent research indicates that the biochemical make-up of lesions may vary between different forms of the disease, this is not the reason why people with MS (PwMS) have such widely differing symptoms - it's because nerve damage to one site usually causes completely different symptoms than damage to another.

In general, people with MS can experience partial or complete loss of any function that is controlled by, or passes through, the brain or spinal cord.

I am sorry to hear about your MS. I worked for the MS society and I have never heard of brain damage to the metal state. If you want I can give a good friend of mine who is a MS specialist a call and ask.

I agree with J_9 sorry I didn't see your post at first (J_9).

In all the research I have done I have not found that it does cause brain damage, however since it has such a wide array of symptoms, it may be rare, but may be possible.

Have you discussed this with your neurologist?

There are several articles that disucss psychological stress to the brain and Multiple Sclerosis. Not sure if that is what you are looking for.

See the following from the BrainInjury.com website - brain injury .com | Multiple Sclerosis Aggravation by Stress and Trauma (http://www.braininjury.com/multiplesclerosis.html)

I am sorry to hear about your MS. I worked for the MS society and I have never heard of brain damage to the metal state. If you want I can give a good friend of mine who is a MS specialist a call and ask.
I truly appreciate your answer, and reassurance, I would appreciate your giving your friend a call on my behalf. Thank-you

No problem I will give him a call in the morning and see what he has to say

It certainly can effects your mental state. It can cause depression, other mental problems and even (although rare) psychosis. Cognitive impairment is a common symptom, problems with finding words, problems with expression and understanding.

My daughter had the psychosis but the neurologists claim it's very rare. She was fine one day and lost it the next. They are telling me she will more than likely be okay but I'm really not sure. There is very little research in this area.

Is it common in late stage Ms (she's had chronic progressive for 35 years) to lose consciousness & awareness for days on end? My sister lives 3000 miles away & this has been happening to her lately.The hospital will get her conscious & aware & within a day of going home she was unconscious &/or groggy & unresponsive.