Immunohistochemical identification of T-lymphocytes in the central nervous system of patients with multiple sclerosis and subacute sclerosing panencephalitis.

T-lymphocytes were identified in frozen brain sections derived from patients with chronic inflammatory disorders of the CNS by using a specific heteroantiserum and the unlabelled antibody enzyme method. Clusters of T-cells were found in post-mortem material of cases with multiple sclerosis (MS) and subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE). The results suggest that T-lymphocytes are involved in the pathogenesis of both MS and SSPE.