Figure 4

GFAP reactive gliosis increases with EAE progression. Gliosis is significantly reduced by early tolerisation but still progresses even in the absence of further clinical relapses. Representative images of GFAP positive reactive astrocytes in the dorsal funiculus in normal (a, N = 4) day 29 (b, N = 5), day 58 (c, N = 5), day 105-crEAE (d, N = 7), and following early (e, N = 4) and late (f, N = 7) tolerisation. Quantification (g) shows a progressive increase in GFAP reactivity, (black asterisk) that early tolerisation (red bar and asterisk in g) significantly reduces compared to day 105-crEAE. However it remains significantly elevated compared to day 29, showing increased astrocytosis even in the absence of the primary relapse-remitting driven immune response. Late tolerisation (green bar in g) had no significant effect on GFAP reactivity compared to day 58 or 105-crEAE timepoints (asterisk = P <0.01, one-way ANOVA). Scale bar = 200 μm for all images.