Newly diagnosed people find this the most frustrating and problematic question about MS. Neurologists and other healthcare providers consider it just as difficult having to tell someone that there is no known cause or cure yet. Needless to say, the race to understand what causes MS is ongoing, and this will eventually lead to more effective treatments and hopefully, cure and prevention. In MS, the central nervous system – the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves – is affected. Nerve cells in the brain send signals throughout the body to control everything that happens, like movement, sensation, memory, cognition, and speech.