To: Courtney Willfore who wrote (89 ) 11/18/1997 8:41:00 AM From: r. peter Dale Respond to
Courtney: My research concerns the role of compounds released by glia, with a focus on nitric oxide and SOD, during demyelination. So my focus is towards diseases such as MS although, as you suggest, some of the same glia-related factors play a role in neurodegenerative diseases as well. [A semantic note - neurodegenerative diseases describe processes where neurons degenerate and the loss of their myelin is a secondary consequence; demyelinating diseases involve loss of myelin where the death of the associated neuron is secondary. While the line between the two, on a biological basis, can be fuzzy at times, it's important for you to keep the language straight. If you come across statements, either here or even in the literature, where these terms are used interchangeably, treat the information with suspicion].
