@article{KoenigerKuerten2017, author = {Koeniger, Tobias and Kuerten, Stefanie}, title = {Splitting the "unsplittable": Dissecting resident and infiltrating macrophages in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis}, series = {International Journal of Molecular Sciences}, volume = {18}, journal = {International Journal of Molecular Sciences}, number = {10}, issn = {1422-0067}, doi = {10.3390/ijms18102072}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-285067}, year = {2017}, abstract = {Macrophages predominate the inflammatory landscape within multiple sclerosis (MS) lesions, not only regarding cellularity but also with respect to the diverse functions this cell fraction provides during disease progression and remission. Researchers have been well aware of the fact that the macrophage pool during central nervous system (CNS) autoimmunity consists of a mixture of myeloid cells. Yet, separating these populations to define their unique contribution to disease pathology has long been challenging due to their similar marker expression. Sophisticated lineage tracing approaches as well as comprehensive transcriptome analysis have elevated our insight into macrophage biology to a new level enabling scientists to dissect the roles of resident (microglia and non-parenchymal macrophages) and infiltrating macrophages with unprecedented precision. To do so in an accurate way, researchers have to know their toolbox, which has been filled with diverse, discriminating approaches from decades of studying neuroinflammation in animal models. Every method has its own strengths and weaknesses, which will be addressed in this review. The focus will be on tools to manipulate and/or identify different macrophage subgroups within the injured murine CNS.}, language = {en} } @article{SchampelKuerten2017, author = {Schampel, Andrea and Kuerten, Stefanie}, title = {Danger: high voltage - the role of voltage-gated calcium channels in central nervous system pathology}, series = {Cells}, volume = {6}, journal = {Cells}, number = {4}, doi = {10.3390/cells6040043}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-172653}, year = {2017}, abstract = {Voltage-gated calcium channels (VGCCs) are widely distributed within the central nervous system (CNS) and presumed to play an important role in the pathophysiology of a broad spectrum of CNS disorders including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease as well as multiple sclerosis. Several calcium channel blockers have been in clinical practice for many years so that their toxicity and side effects are well studied. However, these drugs are primarily used for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases and most if not all effects on brain functions are secondary to peripheral effects on blood pressure and circulation. While the use of calcium channel antagonists for the treatment of CNS diseases therefore still heavily depends on the development of novel strategies to specifically target different channels and channel subunits, this review is meant to provide an impulse to further emphasize the importance of future research towards this goal.}, language = {en} }