In the last decade, an increasing number of studies have reported that TSPO ligands are neuroprotective in various experimental pathological conditions, including models of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), chronic unpredictable stress (CUS), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and neurodegenerative diseases (Daugherty et al., 2013; Zhang et al., 2014a; Zhang et al., 2014b). This evidence concerns the gene TSPO and experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.