4.5 (12) Multiple sclerosis (MS)-associated inflammation in the cerebral cortex — the outermost layer of the brain that is involved in cognitive function — prompts the destruction of neural connections by specific immune cells, according to a study in a mouse model of MS. These immune cells targeted dendritic spines (nerve cell communication structures) containing abnormally high levels of calcium — a dysregulation previously associated with nerve fiber degeneration in MS. Importantly, blocking the activation of these immune cells, called phagocytes, successfully prevented the loss of cerebral cortex synapses (sites of neural communication) in the mice, highlighting that similar approaches may help prevent disease progression in people with MS.