[Abstract Title]. - Society for Neuroscience

Program#/Poster#: 251.9/W2
Topic: C.08.b. Animal models
Support: J. Sagol doctoral fellowship
Title: Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) in mice causes sex- and brain regiondependent
increases in peripheral benzodiazepine receptors (PBR)
Authors: *Y. DERI 1,2 , A. KATZAV 2 , J. CHAPMAN 1,3 , A. BIEGON 2,4 ;
1 Sackler Fac. of Med., Tel Aviv Univ., Tel Aviv, Israel; 2 The Joseph Sagol Neurosci. Ctr., 3 Dept.
of Neurol., Sheba Med. Ctr., Ramat Gan, Israel; 4 Brookhaven Natl. Labs., Long Island, NY
Abstract: Multiple sclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system.
The regional intensity of the neuroinflammatory response can be examined by [3H]PK11195
autoradiography, which had been found to be an excellent quantitative marker for
neuroinflammation and microlesions. Using a common animal model of MS, MOG-induced
EAE, we explored region-selective neuroinflammation and its relationship to disease course in
male and female mice. Ten male and 18 female C57bl mice, 11 weeks old, were injected with
MOG. The animals' symptoms were scored daily on a 7 point scale ranging from 0 (no
symptoms) to 6 (death). Control mice (10 females and 10 males) were handled daily during the
same time. At the end of a 5 weeks follow up period, animals were decapitated and brains were
quickly removed and frozen for cryo-sectioning in multiple consecutive series. Coronal brain
sections at the level of striatum and hippocampus were incubated with the selective non
competitive PBR antagonist [ 3 H]PK11195. Non specific binding was assessed on consecutive
sections in the presence of excess unlabeled PK11195. Washed and dried sections were digitally
scanned and PBR density measured in anterior cingulate cortex, striatum, retrosplenial granular
cortex, perirhinal cortex and hippocampal regions (CA1, CA3 and dentate gyrus) using ImageJ
software. Two EAE males (20%) and 6 EAE females (33%) died during the follow up period.
EAE mice had significantly higher PBR levels in all brain regions measured compared to
controls, which was also sex dependent [significant 3 way ANOVA by group (p