Background: Clinical observations support the hypothesis that stressful events increase relapse occurrence in multiple sclerosis patients, while stress-reduction strategies can modulate this effect. However, a direct cause-effect relationship between stress level and relapse cannot be firmly established from these data.
Objectives: The purpose of this work was to address whether modulation of stress could interfere with symptom relapse in an animal model of multiple sclerosis with relapsing-remitting course.
Methods: Mice bred in standard or enriched environment were subjected to repeated acute stress during the remission phase of relapsing-remitting PLP-induced experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.
Results: We report that repeated acute stress induced a twofold increase in relapse incidence in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. On the other hand, environmental enrichment reduced relapse incidence and severity, and reversed the effects of repeated acute stress.
Conclusion: These data provide the platform for further studies on the biological processes that link stress and multiple sclerosis relapses in a suitable animal model.
Keywords: Psychological stress; environmental enrichment; multiple sclerosis; relapse; water avoidance stress.
© The Author(s) 2020.