ACC-BLA functional connectivity disruption in allergic inflammation is associated with anxiety

Allergic asthma is a chronic inflammatory respiratory disease. Psychiatric disorders, including anxiety are associated with poorer treatment response and disease control in asthmatic patients. To date, there is no experimental evidence describing the role of peripheral inflammation on the oscillatory activities in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and basolateral amygdala (BLA), two major brain structures modulating anxiety. In the present work we evaluated lung and brain inflammatory responses, anxiety-like behavior, in association with oscillatory features of the ACC-BLA circuit in an animal model of allergic inflammation. Our data showed that allergic inflammation induced anxiety-like behavior and reactivation of microglia and astrocytes in ACC and BLA. Allergic inflammation also enhanced neuronal activities and functional connectivity of the ACC-BLA circuit which were correlated with the level of anxiety. Together, we suggest that disruption in the dynamic oscillatory activities of the ACC-BLA circuit, maybe due to regional inflammation, is an underlying mechanism of allergic asthma-induced anxiety-like behavior. Our findings could pave the way for better understanding the neuro-pathophysiology of the psychiatric disorders observed in asthmatic patients, possibly leading to develop novel treatment strategies.