Prevention of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis by anterior hypothalamic lesion in rats

Bilateral electrical lesions were performed in the anterior hypothalamus (AH) and hippocampus (HC) of female Lewis rats. AH but not HC lesions were found to inhibit the appearance of clinical signs typical of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE). The incidence of EAE was 17.2% and the duration was 1.33 +/- 0.07 days after AH lesions compared with an incidence of 85% and duration of 4.81 +/- 0.6 days in the controls. Destruction of the AH was followed by decreased levels of antibodies to myelin basic protein and increased reactivity of splenic lymphocytes to concanavalin A, but did not affect the extent of mononuclear cell infiltration within the brain and spinal cord.