Immune sensing of food allergens promotes avoidance behaviour.

In addition to its canonical function of protection from pathogens, the immune system can also alter behaviour. The scope and mechanisms of behavioural modifications by the immune system are not yet well understood. Here, using mouse models of food allergy, we show that allergic sensitization drives antigen-specific avoidance behaviour.

Lactate transporters in the rat barrel cortex sustain whisker-dependent BOLD fMRI signal and behavioral performance.

Lactate is an efficient neuronal energy source, even in presence of glucose. However, the importance of lactate shuttling between astrocytes and neurons for brain activation and function remains to be established. For this purpose, metabolic and hemodynamic responses to sensory stimulation have been measured by functional magnetic resonance spectroscopy and blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) fMRI after down-regulation of either neuronal MCT2 or astroglial MCT4 in the rat barrel cortex.

The costs of coping: Different strategies to deal with social defeat stress might come with distinct immunologic, neuroplastic, and oxidative stress consequences in male Wistar rats.

The impact of stress on health and well-being is determined by the ability of an individual to cope with challenges imposed by the stressor. Animals exposed to social defeat stress show different patterns of response during confrontations, leading to distinct stress-induced consequences. Using an established resident-intruder paradigm, we explored the outcomes of adopting active or passive coping strategies during a social defeat protocol over peripheral and central nervous system (CNS) levels of inflammatory cytokines, growth factors, glucocorticoid, and oxidative stress markers in male Wistar rats.