Effect of Rituximab on the Peripheral Blood and Cerebrospinal Fluid B Cells in Patients With Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis

and after rituximab treatment. Results: The B cells in cerebrospinal fluid were not as effectively depleted as their peripheral blood counterparts. Rituximab treatment temporarily suppressed the activation state of B cells in cerebrospinal fluid. The residual B cells underwent expansion after rituximab treatment. Conclusion: The effect(s) of rituximab on the cerebrospinal fluid B-cell compartment is limited in comparison with the effect(s) on the B cells in the periphery, but this finding will need to be confirmed in a larger group of MS patients. Arch Neurol. 2005;62:258-264