Figure 1

Vessel density is increased in EAE mice. A. Vessel density, calculated as the cumulative vessel profile length per standard area (ImageJ software, NIH, Bethesda, USA; observer blinded to section ranking: CC), is significantly increased in EAE brains at 19 days post-immunization (dpi) (ctrl: 12 week-old control mice, n = 5; EAE: 12 week-old EAE mice, n = 5; t-test, p = 0.0026). B, C. Representative images of the vasculature of the same cerebral cortex area (area frontalis) in healthy mice and EAE (mouse at 19 dpi after 200 μg of MOG_35–55 immunization; clinical onset: 10 dpi, clinical score (cs) at 19 dpi = 3.0) are immunolabelled with CD13, a pericyte marker, and collagen IV of the vessel basal lamina. Some glomeruloid microvessels associated with a high number of pericytes are visible in the EAE brains.