Overview of Promising Rat Models for Cortical Lesion Research- 2006 Until Now

Abstract

Success in developing new drugs for diseases often depends on laboratory research usually involving animal models. For the early disease phases of multiple sclerosis (MS) this prerequisite was given by experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model which reflects the pathophysiological mechanisms of the disease quite well. Only a few models resemble cellular features of the progressive disease form of MS (like cortical demyelination) and if they do observable lesions are rather sparse and short lived. The lack of suitable animal models delayed and complicated drug development. Recently a few promising animal models reassembling many characteristics of progressive MS have been described aiming at both a better understanding of cellular mechanisms of this disease phase as well as the development of new therapeutic options. The authors of new rat models postulate novel findings of cortical pathology summarized in this article. The models differ in their focus and not all distinct models are reflecting all features of progressive MS but together they allow research on different aspects of the disease and offer the opportunity to expand our knowledge and clear the way for drug development.