Fig. 10

Examples of optic nerve pathology observed in EAE mice 11 and 28 days post immunisation. a Example of a healthy axonal fibre with normal myelination. b Swollen nerve fibres with a fragment of axon left and a large balloon produced from the splitting of the myelin sheaths was observed in EAE mice at 11 dpi. c Another large swollen nerve fibre with dark cytoplasm (likely a sign of severe degeneration) filled with numerous vacuoles at 11 dpi. d Many bloated myelinated axons were observed at 11 dpi with a dense axoplasm filled with primarily neurofilament. e A dystrophic axon where the axoplasm contains an accumulation of lysosomes. Redundant myelination can also be found around the axons at 11 dpi. f In EAE mice at 28 dpi, ballooning was also observed in some nerve fibres. g Nerve fibres with dark cytoplasm were identified at 28 dpi as well but appeared more shrunken than at 11 dpi. h At 28 dpi, large myelinated nerve fibres showed dense degeneration with numerous vacuoles and organelles within the cytoplasm, however they were not as large as fibres at 11 dpi. i Empty myelin sheaths with completely degenerated axons were visible at 28 dpi in EAE mice. j Dystrophic axons were also found at 28 dpi. k Redundant myelin was more common at 28 dpi, often forming around tiny fragments of axons or entirely on its own. v: vacuoles, m: mitochondria, EAE: experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. Electron micrograph image resolution: 8 nm/pixel