Brain-immune interactions generate pathogen-specific sickness states.

ABSTRACT: In nature, animals encounter diverse pathogens that trigger specific peripheral defense programs and elicit sickness behavior, a set of stereotyped physiological and behavioral changes thought to promote host fitness. Most studies to date have relied on one or a few mouse models of infection, limiting insights into pathogen-specific neuroimmune interactions that generate sickness. We hypothesized that different pathogens might elicit distinct sickness states by engaging different cell types and brain circuits. Using inflammatory models representing bacterial, viral, allergic, parasitic or colitis conditions, we assessed sickness across scales: organismal - behavior and physiology; cellular - brain-wide neural activity; and molecular - single-cell in situ transcriptomics in hypothala

SUBMITTER: Sullivan ZA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12713759 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature