Pichiecchio A, Tavazzi E, Maccabelli G et al.
Neurological Institute IRCCS Fondazione C.Mondino, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.
Acta Neurol Scand 2009;120:242–5.
Editor’s note: The detection of oligoclonal bands in the cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) remains one of the most commonly used paraclinical tests to assist in the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS). However, it has been reported that up to 10% of the Caucasian MS population can present with oligoclonal band-negative MS (
Neurology 2006;67:1062–4). The origin of these bands appears to be a B cell population in the CSF, but it remains to be confirmed whether these B cells arise
de novo in the CSF, come from meningeal-based germinal centers, or are derived from the brain parenchyma itself.