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Updated: Jan 30, 2026

Comprehensive Autopsy Program for Individuals with Multiple Sclerosis
Published on: July 19, 2019
Calcium Influx through Plasma-Membrane Nanoruptures Drives Axon Degeneration in a Model of Multiple Sclerosis
Maarten E Witte1, Adrian-Minh Schumacher1, Christoph F Mahler1
1Institute of Clinical Neuroimmunology, University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians Universität München, Marchioninistraße 15, 81377 Munich, Germany; Biomedical Center (BMC), Faculty of Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians Universität München, Großhaderner Strasse 9, 82152 Planegg Martinsried, Germany.
Abstract:
Axon loss determines persistent disability in multiple sclerosis patients. Here, we use in vivo calcium imaging in a multiple sclerosis model to show that cytoplasmic calcium levels determine the choice between axon loss and survival. We rule out the endoplasmic reticulum, glutamate excitotoxicity, and the reversal of the sodium-calcium exchanger as sources of intra-axonal calcium accumulation and instead identify nanoscale ruptures of the axonal plasma membrane as the critical path of calcium entry.
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