The Cerebral Perivascular Cells

This book reveals the morphological correlate of antigen presentation in rodents. The method of immunoquenching of fluorescence described in this book is new and of considerable interest since it combines retrograde labeling and subsequent immunophenotypical characterization of cells.
A main benefit of the book is the careful approach combined with modern methods of research. The result showing that the antigen-presenting cells of the rodent central nervous system are not the microglial cells but the perivascular cells is also very promising for future investigations.

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Following an exhaustive literature review on the global issue of intracerebral presentation of antigen, this monograph summarizes results from voluminous work to establish which indigenous cerebral cells might present (auto)antigen to the immune system and thus initiate an (auto)immune reaction. Employing the combination of (a) a lesion model in which neuronal degeneration and neuronophagia are caused without disruption of the blood--brain barrier, (b) stable labeling of the neuronophages via phagocytosis of the permanent nontoxic fluorescent marker Fluoro-Gold from preloaded neurons, and (c) immunocytochemical identification of all FG-labeled brain neuronophages, the authors provide evidence that the only cells in the rat CNS which can be regarded as the resident antigen presenting cells of the brain are perivascular cells.