Posted by 
For my STEAM project I did multiple sclerosis. Multiple sclerosis is a autoimmune disease that affects the nerve cells of the CNS. I used styrofoam and pipe cleaners to make a damaged nerve cell. I used felt sheets to show the damage that the immune system does to the myelin sheath.
Abstract of Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple Sclerosis is a chronic autoimmune disease that causes the demyelination of nerve cells. The immune system attacks the myelin sheath of the nerve cells resulting in delay of the action potential and a delay in signaling of the nerve cell. This can result in symptoms such as limb numbness, headaches, paralysis, neurological deterioration, and blindness. Drugs such as IV methylprednisolone and immune modulators are used to control symptoms and slow the progression of multiple sclerosis. In the photo above you can see a visual representation of how the myelin sheaths would look in a person that has multiple sclerosis, the white felt is patchy and has a different number of layers in different places, showing a breakdown. The objective of this project was how sensory cells translate stimulus into action potential, and how this is affected by multiple sclerosis.