New aspects regarding mechanisms of tissue damage in the course of autoimmune demyelination

Abstract Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS) and the major cause of neurological disability in young adults in Western countries. Over the last decades, it has become evident that the immune system specifically attacks the myelin sheath within the CNS and induces recurrent or persisting neurological deficits in patients. This review focuses on selected new aspects of the underlying mechanisms linking autoimmune demyelination and irreversible brain tissue damage in the course of MS and its animal model, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.