Neuroinflammation modulates distinct regional and temporal clinical responses in ALS mice.

ABSTRACT: An inflammatory response is a pathological hallmark of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a relentless and devastating degenerative disease of motoneurons. This response is not simply a late consequence of motoneuron degeneration, but actively contributes to the balance between neuroprotection and neurotoxicity; initially infiltrating lymphocytes and microglia slow disease progression, while later, they contribute to the acceleration of disease. Since motor weakness begins in the hindlimbs of ALS mice and only later involves the forelimbs, we determined whether differential protective versus injurious inflammatory responses in the cervical and lumbar spinal cords explained the temporally distinct clinical disease courses between the limbs of these mice. Densitometric evaluation of immuno

SUBMITTER: Beers DR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3096756 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature