Anti-Myelin Antibody (AMA)

Antibodies as a predictor of clinically definite multiple sclerosis after a first demyelinating event.Myelin is a dielectric (electrically insulating) material that forms a layer, the myelin sheath, usually around only the axon of a neuron. It is essential for the proper functioning of the nervous system.

Myelin is an outgrowth of a glial cell: Schwann cells supply the myelin for peripheral neurons, whereas oligodendrocytes, specifically of the interfascicular type, myelinate the axons of the central nervous system. Myelin is considered a defining characteristic of the (gnathostome) vertebrates, but it has also arisen by parallel evolution in some invertebrates. Myelin was discovered in 1854 by Rudolf Virchow. The prognostic value of these antibodies for CDMS, however, seems to be less pronounced than previously reported.