A four-year-old child has trouble walking and running, sleeps through most of the day, and recently was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. The child’s condition is the result of _____.

Question

a. a disruption in the myelin sheaths
b. the presence of an extra copy of chromosome 21
c. the abnormal lengths of the axons
d. a disruption in rapid eye movement sleep

Answer 1

The correct answer is:

a. a disruption in the myelin sheaths

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease that affects the central nervous system and is characterized by the deterioration or damage to the myelin sheaths — the protective covering that surrounds nerve fibers. This disruption can lead to a variety of neurological symptoms, including the ones described in the child.