Effects of Systemic Influenza Infection on Remyelination in an Animal Model

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune inflammatory disease of the central nervous system. MS is characterized by episodes of demyelination followed by partial remyelination. Cuprizone is a toxin that causes demyelination in specific regions of the C57BL/6 mouse brain, which remyelinate upon termination of cuprizone. Upper respiratory infections are known to exacerbate MS symptoms We hypothesize that infection may impede remyelination, possibly due to a direct effect on oligodendrocyte maturation. If this is the case, we may find a reduced amount of mature oligodendrocytes and large amounts of oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) in areas of heavy demyelination in flu mice compared to controls.The aim of this study is to observe the impact of peripheral infection on remyelination in the corpus callosum, a known area of heavy demyelination in the cuprizone model