TY - JOUR
T1 - Reducing post-traumatic anxiety by immunization
AU - Lewitus, Gil M.
AU - Cohen, Hagit
AU - Schwartz, Michal
N1 - Funding Information:
We thank R. Halper and S. Schwarzbaum for editing the manuscript and to S. Ovadia for animal maintenance. M.S. is the incumbent of the Maurice and Ilse Katz Professorial Chair in Neuroimmunology. This study was supported, in part, by an NARSAD award for Distinguished Investigators awarded to M.S.
PY - 2008/10/1
Y1 - 2008/10/1
N2 - Trafficking of T lymphocytes to specific organs, such as the skin and lungs, is part of the body's defense mechanism following acute psychological stress. Here we demonstrate that T lymphocytes are also trafficking to the brain in response to psychological stress and are needed to alleviate its negative behavioral consequences. We show that short exposure of mice to a stressor (predator odor) enhanced T-cell infiltration to the brain, especially to the choroid plexus, and that this infiltration was associated with increased ICAM-1 expression by choroid plexus cells. Systemic administration of corticosterone could mimic the effects of psychological stress on ICAM-1 expression. Furthermore, we found that the ability to cope with this stress is interrelated with T-cell trafficking and with the brain and hippocampal BDNF levels. Immunization with a CNS-related peptide reduced the stress-induced anxiety and the acoustic startle response, and restored levels of BDNF, shown to be important for stress resilience. These results identified T cells as novel players in coping with psychological stress, and offers immunization with a myelin-related peptide as a new therapeutic approach to alleviate chronic consequences of acute psychological trauma, such as those found in posttraumatic stress disorder.
AB - Trafficking of T lymphocytes to specific organs, such as the skin and lungs, is part of the body's defense mechanism following acute psychological stress. Here we demonstrate that T lymphocytes are also trafficking to the brain in response to psychological stress and are needed to alleviate its negative behavioral consequences. We show that short exposure of mice to a stressor (predator odor) enhanced T-cell infiltration to the brain, especially to the choroid plexus, and that this infiltration was associated with increased ICAM-1 expression by choroid plexus cells. Systemic administration of corticosterone could mimic the effects of psychological stress on ICAM-1 expression. Furthermore, we found that the ability to cope with this stress is interrelated with T-cell trafficking and with the brain and hippocampal BDNF levels. Immunization with a CNS-related peptide reduced the stress-induced anxiety and the acoustic startle response, and restored levels of BDNF, shown to be important for stress resilience. These results identified T cells as novel players in coping with psychological stress, and offers immunization with a myelin-related peptide as a new therapeutic approach to alleviate chronic consequences of acute psychological trauma, such as those found in posttraumatic stress disorder.
KW - Acute stress
KW - ICAM-1
KW - Immunization
KW - Lymphocytes
KW - PTSD
KW - Psychoneuroimmunology
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=50249163077&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.bbi.2008.05.002
DO - 10.1016/j.bbi.2008.05.002
M3 - Article
C2 - 18562161
AN - SCOPUS:50249163077
SN - 0889-1591
VL - 22
SP - 1108
EP - 1114
JO - Brain, Behavior, and Immunity
JF - Brain, Behavior, and Immunity
IS - 7
ER -