Edit page | Page history | Printable version

Experimental allergic encephalitis --> experimental allergic encephalomyelitis

(Science: pathology) An autoimmune disease that can be induced in various experimental animals by the injection of homogenised brain or spinal cord in Freund's adjuvant. The antigen appears to be a basic protein present in myelin and the response is characterised by focal areas of lymphocyte and macrophage infiltration into the brain, associated with demyelination and destruction of the blood-brain barrier. Sometimes used as a model for demyelinating diseases, although whether this is entirely justifiable is not clear.