Abstract

Animal models have been used widely in neurology since many decades. They have led to an improved understanding of the pathophysiological processes underlying frequent diseases as multiple sclerosis or Parkinson’s disease and enabled the development of highly effective therapeutical approaches. Current developments, drawbacks and limitations of animal models in neurology are discussed with a special focus on the experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis – model of multiple sclerosis.

Keywords: Animal models, neurology, multiple sclerosis, encephalitogenic epitopes, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, microarray, transgene animals, natalizumab, Parkinson’s disease, conditioned reflex.