[Therapeutic immunomodulation in neurology: from hope to reality. Exemplified by multiple sclerosis]

Multiple strategies for specific therapies are presently attempted in multiple sclerosis, in which an autoimmune reaction leads to demyelinisation within the central nervous system. Similar approaches are generally used in other potential autoimmune diseases. They try to interfere with the presentation and recognition of putative autoantigens by the immune system and also with the inflammatory process that gives rise to the demyelinating lesion. The authors review extensively these various prospects and their immediate implications for multiple sclerosis patients.