Topic: demyelination

Microglia are the resident CNS macrophages of the brain parenchyma. They have many and opposing roles in health and disease, ranging from inflammatory to anti-inflammatory and protective functions, depending on the developmental stage and the disease context. In Multiple Sclerosis, microglia are involved to important hallmarks of the disease, such as inflammation, demyelination, axonal damage and remyelination, however the exact mechanisms controlling their transformation towards a protective or devastating phenotype during the disease progression remains largely unknown until now. We wish to

We recently analyzed a large cohort of multiple sclerosis (MS) autopsy cases of the Netherlands Brain Bank (NBB) and showed that 57% of the lesion in advanced MS is active (containing activated microglia/macrophages). These active lesions correlated with disease severity and differed between males and female MS patients.1 Already in normal appearing white matter microglia show early signs of demyelination.5 T cells are also frequently present in advanced stages of MS and have a tissue resident memory (Trm) phenotype, are more frequently CD8+ then CD4+, are located perivascular, enriched in act

Accumulation of heavy metals (Mn and Ni) and prolonged exposure to stress are associated with adverse health outcomes. Various studies have elucidated individually the impacts of stress and metal exposures on brain constituents and function. However, no study has examined the effects of co-exposure to stress, Mn, and Ni in the brain. This study addresses this gap by evaluating oxidative and glial responses, apoptotic activity, as well as cognitive processes in a rat model. Adult Wistar rats were exposed to vehicle (control), restraint stress, 25mg/kg of manganese (Mn) or nickel (Ni), and combi

Lead (Pb), a ubiquitous, non-biodegradable heavy metal contaminant, has significant impact on human and animal health. The adverse effect of lead on avian health and productivity has received little attention, considering the fact that they are sentinels. Alchornea laxiflora (Benth), family Euphorbiaceae, grows naturally in the Nigerian rain forest. Decoction of the leaves is administered traditionally to treat inflammatory and infectious diseases. Ethanol extract of Alchornea laxiflora (EaAL) leaves was used in this study to ameliorate lead-induced neurodegeneration. Five-week-old cockerels,