OREANDA-NEWS. Experts from Switzerland found out that lowering the temperature reduces the development of multiple sclerosis, thereby weakening the harmful activity of the immune system. This may be relevant for other immune diseases, writes the journal Cell Metabolism.

Multiple sclerosis is the most widespread autoimmune disease of the central nervous system. With it, the cells of the immune system destroy myelin, the protective «shell» of neurons that plays an important role in signal transmission. This leads to neurological disorders, including paralysis.

At the same time, the work of the body's mechanisms leading to sclerosis requires a lot of energy: scientists have suggested that adding an energy-consuming program can soften the immune response and accordingly, the course of multiple sclerosis. To test the hypothesis, they began to lower the average temperature of the habitat of mice with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis — an analogue of multiple sclerosis in rodents. After several days of observation, they noted a distinct decrease in the clinical severity of the disease and a slowdown in the symptoms of it's development.

Researchers have found that cold reduces the ability of cells to recognize foreign elements. The need to maintain body temperature in the cold takes resources from the immune system, thereby weakening the symptoms of multiple sclerosis. Scientists emphasize that the results of their research are relevant not only for neuroinflammation, but also for other immune diseases.