Fighting multiple sclerosis with cold

Demyelinated spinal cord of mice suffering from autoimmune disease. Left , at room temperature, and bottom, exposed to cold. Myelin is coloured in blue. The purple staining within the white matter (parts towards the edge of the histological section) shows demyelinated lesions that are reduced in the right image. UNIGE - Laboratoires Trajkovski & Merkler /Cell Metabolism - Scientists from the University of Geneva are demonstrating how cold could alleviate the symptoms of multiple sclerosis by depriving the immune system of its energy. In evolutionary biology, the "Life History Theory", first proposed in the 1950s, postulates that when the environment is favourable, the resources used by any organism are devoted for growth and reproduction. Conversely, in a hostile environment, resources are transferred to so-called maintenance programmes, such as energy conservation and defence against external attacks.