The Effect of Age on the Susceptibility and Severity of Demyelination
Abstract
The premise of this proposal which utilized a mouse model of MS known as experimental allergic encephalomyelitis was two-fold: first- that as animals age they become more susceptible to demyelinating disease and secondly that a molecule known to mediate the connection of myelin to the axonal membrane known as neurofascin was a key factor in determining the susceptibility of animals to demyelination. The research substantiated both of these premises: although older animals came down with disease at a somewhat later time point than younger cohorts, they became significantly sicker at this later time point; in addition when neurofascin was greatly decreased in a transgenic mouse the consequence was that these mice became sicker much quicker than a cohort of mice with normal levels of neurofascin. Therefore we have identified a key molecule related to susceptibility to demyelination (neurofascin) and showed that increasing age renders animals to a more profound disease state even though it occurs at a later time point.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2015
- Accession Number
- AD1007402
Entities
People
- George H. Devries