Abstract
We investigated the relationship between immunological and behavioral changes during ageing in Dark Agouti female rats. Results showed that ageing was associated with decreased exploratory behavior and increased emotionality (open field test) and decreased pain perception (writhing assay), but not with altered depression-like behavior (forced swim test). The observed behavioral changes were paralleled with decreased innate immunity in middle-aged and old rats, as revealed by reduced peroxide production of peritoneal macrophages; and decreased specific immunity, measured by the plaque-forming cell response, in old rats in comparison with young rats. Correlation analyses between behavioral and immune parameters demonstrated a significant correlation between the lines crossed in the open field test and the plaque-forming cell response. Taken together, the demonstrated age-dependent association between exploratory behavior and specific immune response suggests a senescent decline of a common neuroimmune regulatory mechanism.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1259-1273 |
| Number of pages | 15 |
| Journal | International Journal of Neuroscience |
| Volume | 113 |
| Issue number | 9 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Sep 1 2003 |
Funding
Received 27 January 2003. The technical assistance of Mrs. Zuzana Tomaš is gratefully acknowledged. This work was supported by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Development, Republic of Serbia, Belgrade, Yugoslavia (Grant 1239). Address correspondence to Mirjana Dimitrijevic, Immunology Research Center “Branislav Janković,” Institute of Immunology and Virology “Torlak,” Vojvode Stepe 458, 11152 Belgrade, Yugoslavia. E-mail: [email protected]
Keywords
- Analgesia
- Forced-swim test
- Macrophages
- Open field
- Plaque forming cell response
- Rat
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Neuroscience