Remyelination in humans due to a retinoid-X receptor agonist is age-dependent

Abstract

Remyelination efficiency declines with advancing age in animal models, but this has been harder to demonstrate in people with multiple sclerosis. We show that bexarotene, a putatively remyelinating retinoid-X receptor agonist, shortened the visual evoked potential latency in patients with chronic optic neuropathy aged under 42 years only (with the effect diminishing by 0.45 ms per year of age); and increased the magnetization transfer ratio of deep gray matter lesions in those under 43 years only. Addressing this age-related decline in human remyelination capacity will be an important step in the development of remyelinating therapies that work across the lifespan.