Efficient central nervous system remyelination requires T cells

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Abstract
We demonstrate a role for immune functions in the spontaneous remyelination of central nervous system (CNS) axons after lysolecithin-induced demyelination in the spinal cord. Rag-1–deficient mice lack both B cells and T cells and show significantly reduced spontaneous remyelination compared with control mice of matching genetic background. Mice lacking or depleted of either CD4+ T cells or CD8+ T cells also exhibit reduced remyelination. These data indicate that T cells are necessary for efficient CNS remyelination. Thus, general nonspecific immunosuppression as a therapeutic approach for the treatment of CNS injury and demyelinating disease may have undesirable effects on subsequent tissue repair. Ann Neurol 2003;53:680–684