Strain-specific susceptibility for neurodegeneration in a rat model of autoimmune optic neuritis

Heterogeneity in clinical disease course and histopathology complicates the treatment of multiple sclerosis. To characterize differences in neurodegeneration we compared various subtypes of myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG)-induced optic neuritis in rats. Due to the anatomic characteristics of the optic nerve (ON), the survival of its neuronal cell bodies in the retina, the retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), can easily be analyzed in parallel with inflammation, demyelination and axonal damage. We observed a significantly higher survival of RGCs in Dark Agouti (DA) rats suffering from MOG-induced optic neurit…