Mechanisms of inflammation induced tissue injury in multiple sclerosis

Understanding the mechanisms of tissue injury in multiple sclerosis brains is a prerequisite for specific protective therapy. Here we review recent data, suggesting that demyelination and axonal injury in MS may be induced by different mechanisms involving adaptive and innate immunity. The relative contribution of the different immune reactions may in part explain the inter-individual and stage dependent heterogeneity of multiple sclerosis lesions. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.