What Causes Paroxysmal Symptoms?
Exploring methods to prevent paroxysmal symptoms required researchers to investigate the biological causes behind them. As we mentioned in reference to the MS relapse, the autoimmune response in MS causes inflammation and subsequent removal of the myelin insulation found on nervous tissue. Axons carry signals up and down the spinal cord, and they are often called the electrical wiring of the nervous system. The signals that the nervous system uses to communicate are carried in the form of electric impulses, called an action potential by the medical community. Removal of the myelin insulation causes these impulses to “short out,” preventing proper communication between cells. Researchers call this conduction blocking because axons can no longer carry the electrical impulses necessary to communicate movement or sensory information. Conduction blocking can lead to severe functional losses such as blindness or paralysis (Smith & McDonald, 1999). Ectopic Transmission Research suggests that
