How the immune response to a common virus may target the brain in multiple sclerosis

Abstract

We discovered that the immune response to a common virus called Epstein-Barr virus may be linked to multiple sclerosis by cross-reacting with a protein in the body called alpha-crystallin B . People who reacted to this protein were more likely to develop the disease, and this finding is a step forward in our understanding of how this common virus may cause disease in some people.