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Immune-to-Brain Signaling Effects on the Neural Substrate for Reward: Behavioral Models of Aversion, Anhedonia, and Despair

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The Brain Reward System

Part of the book series: Neuromethods ((NM,volume 165))

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Abstract

The role of immune-to-brain signaling in regulating mood and motivational states has received increasing interest, as clinical studies have uncovered a link between systemic inflammation and treatment-resistant major depressive disorder. With these findings, a need for relevant preclinical rodent models has arisen for investigating the role of systemic inflammation and immune-to-brain signaling on motivated behaviors. Here we describe some of the behavioral paradigms currently employed for examining inflammation-induced negative effect and malaise; more specifically we give examples of how the proinflammatory stimulus Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS) can be combined with behavioral paradigms for anhedonia, aversion, and despair. We aim to provide the reader with guidance on how to prepare and conduct experiments exploring the effects of LPS induced systemic inflammation on affective behaviors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA

    Anna Mathia Klawonn

  2. Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Linköping University, Sweden

    Michael Fritz

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  1. Anna Mathia Klawonn
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  2. Michael Fritz
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Correspondence to Michael Fritz .

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  1. Department of Natural Sciences, School of Arts and Sciences, Lebanese American University, Beirut, Lebanon

    Marc Fakhoury

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Klawonn, A.M., Fritz, M. (2021). Immune-to-Brain Signaling Effects on the Neural Substrate for Reward: Behavioral Models of Aversion, Anhedonia, and Despair. In: Fakhoury, M. (eds) The Brain Reward System. Neuromethods, vol 165. Humana, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-1146-3_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-1146-3_7

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