Inflammatory Macrophage Migration in Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis

Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) is a CD4 T cell-mediated demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS) where macrophages are the end-stage effector cell. EAE serves as a model for multiple sclerosis where it has been instructive in delineating the autoimmune cellular response in the CNS for the purpose of developing more effective therapies. Understanding the nature of how cytokine and chemokine networks regulate the migration of leukocytes to the CNS requires the ability to track subpopulations of those cells in vivo. We describe a flow cytometric technique to monitor the migration of macrophages during EAE development.