Open AccessExperimental Models of Neuromyelitis Optica
Author(s) -
Bradl Monika,
Lassmann Hans
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
brain pathology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.986
H-Index - 132
eISSN - 1750-3639
pISSN - 1015-6305
DOI - 10.1111/bpa.12098
Subject(s) - neuromyelitis optica , multiple sclerosis , autoantibody , aquaporin 4 , neuroscience , medicine , central nervous system , demyelinating disorder , water channel , immunology , antibody , pathology , biology , mechanical engineering , engineering , inlet
For a long time, the most important inflammatory demyelinating diseases of the central nervous system ( CNS ), for example, multiple sclerosis ( MS ) and neuromyelitis optica ( NMO ), were extremely hard to differentiate, often with severe consequences for affected patients. This changed with the discovery of NMO ‐immunoglobulin G ( IgG ), a specific autoantibody which was detected in the vast majority of NMO patients, and with the demonstration that this autoantibody targets aquaporin 4 ( AQP 4), a water channel found on astrocytes in the CNS . These findings paved the way for the generation of experimental models of NMO . This chapter will discuss the contribution of experimental models to NMO research and what key questions remain to be addressed.