Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) is an autoimmune disease characterized by central nervous system (CNS) demyelination, focal inflammation, and axonal injury. EAE manifests with ascending flaccid paralysis and can be artificially induced in various animal species via immunization with short peptides containing specific sequences from myelin proteins, in combination with adjuvants to boost the immune response. EAE shares several clinical and pathological features with multiple sclerosis (MS), a chronic human disease also caused by an aberrant immune response against CNS myelin epitopes. For these striking similarities, EAE has become over time the most widely used preclinical model in the MS research field. Although the direct translation of the results collected in this animal model to the human counterpart should be cautious, EAE has been instrumental to elucidate key events underlying MS pathophysiology. Furthermore, several FDA-approved therapies for MS treatment originated directly from EAE studies. Altogether, this evidence corroborates the intrinsic value of the EAE paradigm as an in vivo platform for addressing the multifaceted interplay between the nervous and immune systems in health and disease.

This Methods Collection aims at providing a comprehensive catalog of protocols for EAE induction involving different encephalitogenic peptides as well as experimental animal strains. In addition, EAE-based multi-disciplinary methods to study the dynamics of CNS autoimmunity at both cellular and molecular levels will also be included. Lastly, this special issue will cover those protocols employing EAE for testing innovative anti-inflammatory and re-myelinating therapies.