Aged hind-limb clasping experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis models aspects of the neurodegenerative process seen in multiple sclerosis

• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1915141116
• Publication Date: 2019-10-22T21:09:22Z
• Authors: Lindsay S. Cahill; Monan Angela Zhang; Valeria Ramaglia; Heather Whetstone; Melika Pahlevan S...; Tae Joon Yi; Laura Woo; Thomas S. Przybycien; Marina Moshkova; Fei Linda Zhao; Olga L. Rojas; Josephine Gomes; Stefanie Kuerten; Jennifer L. Gomme...; John G. Sled; Shannon E. Dunn
• Keywords: Hindlimb

Significance EAE typically presents with hind-limb paralysis and is associated severe T cell-mediated inflammation axon injury throughout the spinal cord parts of brain. Because loss so rapid in this model, it difficult to intervene for purpose evaluating neuroprotective therapies. Here we describe a mild form that does not even meet threshold scoring on traditional scales, yet age results devastating neurodegenerative changes cord, including grey matter atrophy, neuron loss, synapse degradation. These observations underscore utility cell receptor transgenic mice study effect natural aging CNS autoimmunity neurodegeneration.