Myelin-Specific Cd8 T Cells in the Pathogenesis of Experimental Allergic Encephalitis and Multiple Sclerosis

Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) serves as the prototypic model for T cell–mediated autoimmunity. EAE has striking similarities with the human disease acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, a complication seen with vaccination and after certain viral infections. EAE has been used as a model to help understand the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS) and to help identify potential therapeutic candidates for this disease (Table), Until now, research has focused nearly exclusively on the role of CD4⁺ T cells in EAE 1,2,3. In this issue and in a recent publication in the Journal of Immunology 4,5, a pathogenic role of CD8 T cells in EAE has now been described. Lesions in inflammatory infiltrates in the brain and spinal cord of MS patients 6,7, and in brain lesions in EAE...