title: Piet Mondrian's trees and the evolution in understanding multiple sclerosis, Charcot Prize Lecture 2011.
abstract: Four questions were posed about multiple sclerosis (MS) at the 2011 Charcot Lecture, Oct. 22, 2011. 1.                     The Male/Female Disparity:                  Why are women developing MS so much more frequently than men? 2.                     Neuronal and Glial Protection:                  Are there guardian molecules that protect the nervous system in MS? 3.                     Predictive Medicine:                  With all the approved drugs, how can we rationally decide which one to use? 4.                     The Precise Scalpel vs. the Big Hammer for Therapy:                  Is antigen-specific therapy for demyelinating disease possible? To emphasize how our views on the pathogenesis and treatment of MS are evolving, and given the location of the talk in Amsterdam, Piet Mondrian's progressive interpretations of trees serve as a heuristic.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA. steinman@stanford.edu
authors.forename: Lawrence
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Steinman
authors.forename: Robert C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Axtell
authors.forename: Donald
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Barbieri
authors.forename: Roopa
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bhat
authors.forename: Sara E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Brownell
authors.forename: Brigit A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: de Jong
authors.forename: Shannon E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Dunn
authors.forename: Jacqueline L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Grant
authors.forename: May H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Peggy P
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: Ho
authors.forename: Hedwich F
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Kuipers
authors.forename: Michael P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Kurnellas
authors.forename: Shalina S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Ousman
authors.forename: Jonathan B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Rothbard
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis