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Neural substrates for behaviorally conditioned immunosuppression in the rat.

Gustavo Pacheco-López1, Maj-Britt Niemi, Wei Kou

  • 1Department of Medical Psychology, University Duisburg-Essen, D-45122 Essen, Germany. gustavo.pacheco@ifv.gess.ethz.ch

The Journal of Neuroscience : the Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience
|March 5, 2005
PubMed
Summary

This study reveals how the brain controls conditioned immunosuppression. Lesions showed the insular cortex is key for learning and executing immune responses to learned cues.

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Immunology
  • Behavioral Science

Background:

  • Behaviorally conditioned immunosuppression links external cues to immune changes.
  • Understanding the neural basis of this phenomenon is crucial for psychoneuroimmunology.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the central neural mechanisms underlying the acquisition and expression of behaviorally conditioned immunosuppression.
  • To differentiate the roles of the insular cortex, amygdala, and ventromedial hypothalamus in learning and memory of immune responses.

Main Methods:

  • Excitotoxic lesions were made in the insular cortex (IC), amygdala (Am), and ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus (VMH) before and after conditioned taste aversion (CTA) acquisition.
  • Behavioral CTA and immune responses (splenocyte proliferation, cytokine production) were assessed.

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Main Results:

  • IC lesions before and after acquisition impaired the behavioral CTA.
  • Am and VMH lesions did not affect CTA.
  • IC lesions disrupted conditioned immune suppression, while Am and VMH lesions had differential effects on immune response acquisition and evocation.

Conclusions:

  • The insular cortex is essential for both learning and expressing behaviorally conditioned immunosuppression.
  • The amygdala is involved in acquiring visceral information, and the VMH in output pathways to the immune system.
  • These findings elucidate neural mechanisms in learning and memory of conditioned immune responses.