Multiple Sclerosis Research: Education: Understanding EAE. The Reverse

I know that some of you like to read the literature and so that includes reading "Cure of the Week". Each week there are reports of a new breakthrough, because some scientist has given a drug to beasties with MS-like disease (EAE) and they have found benefit.

This will be the next "cure for MS" according to the media, except they forget to show it works therapeutically as opposed to giving the drug before disease is induced or they give so much drug that could never be replicated in humans so that the beastie gets stressed out and therefore they do not get disease.

Now we have the dreaded "Reversal of Disease" treatment paradigm that is increasing being coined as a term applied to giving a drug after the onset of EAE. The animals get better and the placebo controls don't so this is REVERSAL.

Well I understand reversal to mean going back. So in this context it is going back to where you came from, so as the beasties were normal at the start, the reversal implies that they go back to normal after treatment as seen as above. But is this reversal or promotion of recovery from disease attack. Surely reversal is going back to where you started, but if you have a neurological attack then damage can and does occur. Whilst treatment may promote clinical recovery, are you the same as when you started?

Now think if you have a relapse do you always go back to where you started before the attack i.e. reversal or can you accumulate some damage?

EAEers obviously do not see this. So if you have a parked car and then pull the car forward onto the road and then move the car back into the parking spot that is "reversal?" You are at the same point as where you started...However

When you pull the car forward you run over a snail on the road. When you pull back, whilst the car is back where it started the snail is still squashed. This is why it is not reversal because during the attack you accumulate nerve damage, so it is not reversing and going backwards, it is promotion of recovery. Therefore you go forward without as much damage. A subtle but important difference, as you do not resurrect the snail. It is still dead.