Multiple Sclerosis, the EAE Mouse Model

The pathology of Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis (EAE) is characterized by lymphocytic and mononuclear cell infiltration of the CNS, an increase in blood-brain barrier permeability, astrocytic hypertrophy, and often demyelination, all of which contribute to the observed clinical expression of disease, imbalance, and paralysis. This particular mouse model of EAE exhibits lesions in the C57BL/6 mouse in the brain within 45 days of the antigenic challenge. Because the clinical and pathological aspects of this disease bear significant similarities to multiple sclerosis (MS) it is a valuable model of that human demyelinating disease.

The brains of these mice are visualized using Magnetic Resonance Microscopy (MRM), histology, and immunohistochemistry. Lesions in these brains have been identified using these methods. The data are reconstructed into 3D volumes and registered into a common and defined coordinate system and atlased. This atlased information serves as a valuable tool for the collection and comparison of data in this model of MS as well as for future investigation of potential treatments.