Editorial: Brain Plasticity: Has It a Role in Reducing Disability Related to Demyelinating Disease?

Abstract Patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and other demyelinating conditions often show improvement from disease-related neurologic deficits. A number of factors have been proposed as contributing to this recovery. One possible mechanism that has received limited attention in the past is cortical plasticity, a process of active remodeling by which surviving resources are reorganized to maximize clinical status. Pilot studies of brain mapping in patients with MS and myelitis suggest that several motor cortex regions are organized differently than in healthy controls. Further studies are needed to evaluate the role of cortical plasticity in reducing disability among patients with MS. If further evidence supports a role for cortical remodeling in recovery from MS attacks, then treatments targeting the processes underlying cortical plasticity, such as growth factors currently being evaluated in stroke models, may represent new therapeutic avenues for patients with demyelinating disease.