Internationale Zeitschrift für Physikalische Medizin und Rehabilitation
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Concomitant Use of Neuroprotective Drugs in Neuro Rehabilitation of Multiple Sclerosis

Harika Dasari, Bharath Wootla, Arthur E Warrington and Moses Rodriguez

We provide an overview of rehabilitation in neurological diseases. A large amount of literature available on neurorehabilitation is based from the rehabilitative work on stroke and spinal cord injuries. After a brief description of rehabilitation, the potential application of neurorehabilitation in neurodegenerative diseases specifically multiple sclerosis (MS) is summarized. Since MS causes a wide variety of symptoms, the rehabilitation in MS patients may benefit from an interdisciplinary approach that encloses physiotherapy, cognitive rehabilitation, psychological therapy, occupational therapy, and other methods to improve fatigue. Neurorehabilitation helps patients to reach and maintain their optimal physical, psychological and intellectual, levels but it does not reverse long-term disabilities that arise from neurological disorders. This calls for the need of better neuroregenerative and neuroprotective treatment strategies in addition to neurorehabilitation. We discuss neuroprotective drugs aimed at preventing axonal, neuronal, myelin and oligodendrocyte damage and cell death that are approved and others that are currently in clinical trials, with an emphasis on human derived natural antibodies with remyleination potential. Our investigative group developed recombinant natural human IgM antibodies against oligodendrocytes and neurons with a potential for CNS repair and remyleination. One such recombinant antibody, rHIgM22 completed a phase 1 clinical trial with no toxicity and with an objective of promoting remyleination in multiple sclerosis. Inclusion of these drugs as a multifaceted approach may further enhance the efficacy of neurorehabilitation in neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative disorders.