Recent studies have shown that adult brain cells can repair the damage caused by immune cells in the central nervous system. Here's how it works: Stem cells found in an adult brain have the remarkable ability to turn into many different kinds of cells, and when these stem cells are injected into mice with an MS-like disease, the cells travel to the damaged nerves and repair them. Even though testing has only been conducted on mice, it's an exciting breakthrough. Here's what they've found so far:

• The brain stem cells zero in on damaged nerves.

• They replace nerve cells killed by disease.

• They help rebuild the myelin coating on the outside of nerve fibers.

• The mice in the study improved from the disease.

Keep in mind that the treatment doesn't halt the immune system attack that characterizes MS, and, for now, research is focusing on stem cells as a possible approach for repair or replacement.