Cell Surface Phenotype of CNS Infiltrate and Resident Microglia During the Course of Relapsing Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis in Mice

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is the most common cause of neurological disability in young adults. In this study, the animal model of MS, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) was used in conjunction with tissue harvest techniques, flow cytometry and an ex vivo assay system in order to immunophenotype cellular infiltrate over the course of disease, study microglial activation, evaluate the ability of microglia to stimulate T-cells and to determine the effects of small molecule inhibitors on certain biochemical pathways. This study demonstrates that CNS infiltrate kinetics mirror disease course and suggests that microglia be involved in antigen presentation and effector function during disease course