A telemetric study of physiologic changes in mice with induced autoimmune encephalomyelitis

Dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system may be an important component of disease progression in multiple sclerosis (MS), a paralytic inflammatory autoimmune disease of the central nervous system. Using the experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis mouse model of MS, the authors carried out a pilot study to investigate whether telemetric monitoring might be a feasible approach for detecting disturbances in the autonomic control of heart rate and blood pressure after disease induction. Telemetric monitoring devices that were implanted in mice provided useful information regarding the physiologic changes that accompanied disease induction and progression. Changes were observed in heart rate, blood pressure, heart rate variability and diurnal rhythm immediately before and after disease onset. The device implantation procedure did not seem to alter the course of disease. Further investigation may establish these methods as a system for studying the relationships between MS progression and autonomic regulation of physiological status.