Passive Transfer of ‘Allergic’ Encephalomyelitis with Antibrain Serum injected into the Lateral Ventricle of the Brain

Abstract

IT is generally believed that experimental allergic encephalomyelitis results from an interaction between nervous tissue antigens and cells which are engaged in a delayed hypersensitive response. Although experimental allergic encephalomyelitis can be followed by circulating antibodies that react in vitro with nervous tissue constituents, all experiments designed to transfer passively experimental allergic encephalomyelitis either with sera from diseased animals or with antibrain immune sera have failed¹. This has been taken as evidence that antibody does not play any significant part in the development of experimental demyelinating disease². A possible explanation for the failure of antibrain antibodies to induce encephalomyelitic lesions may be their inability to cross the blood-brain barrier in sufficient amount. In order to test the role of antibrain antibodies in the pathogenesis of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis, guinea-pigs with a cannula inserted permanently into the lateral ventricle of the brain were used in the present experiment. Administration of serum through the cannula by-passes the blood-brain barrier, and permits direct contact of injected antibodies and nervous tissue.