Multiple Sclerosis (further abbreviated as MS) is a demyelinating disease that affects the central nervous system (further abbreviated as CNS), meaning the brain and spinal cord.

The myelin is a material that insulates the nervous system, acting like the covering of an electrical wire, and it allows the nerves to transmit impulses rapidly. Thanks to the speed and efficiency of these impulses, rapid, smooth and coordinated movements are performed easily. The myelin loss caused by MS affects the ability to perform these movements.

Of course, because of the loss of myelin, the nerve (called “axon”) is also affected by MS. Thus, MS causes nerve degeneration.  And since the brain is like a large computer that sends electrical signals down the nerves, when MS occurs certain movements can be impaired or difficult to make.