The tissues of the central nervous system are shielded from the blood circulation by specialized vessels, impermeable to cells and most circulating macromolecules. Despite this, central nervous system tissues are subject to immune surveillance and are vulnerable to autoimmune attack. Here, intravital two-photon imaging is used to observe, in real-time, the interactive processes between effector T cells and cerebral structures leading to an experimental rat model of autoimmune encephalitis.
- Ingo Bartholomäus
- Naoto Kawakami
- Alexander Flügel
