Brain, behavior, and immunity
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Brain Behav. Immun. · Aug 2020
Vicarious traumatization in the general public, members, and non-members of medical teams aiding in COVID-19 control.
Since December 2019, more than 79,000 people have been diagnosed with infection of the Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). A large number of medical staff was sent to Wuhan city and Hubei province to aid COVID-19 control. Psychological stress, especially vicarious traumatization caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, should not be ignored. ⋯ Interestingly, the vicarious traumatization scores of the general public were significantly higher than those of the front-line nurses (P < 0.001); however, no statistical difference was observed compared to the scores of non-front-line nurses (P > 0.05). Therefore, increased attention should be paid to the psychological problems of the medical staff, especially non-front-line nurses, and general public under the situation of the spread and control of COVID-19. Early strategies that aim to prevent and treat vicarious traumatization in medical staff and general public are extremely necessary.
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Brain Behav. Immun. · Aug 2020
In vivo intrathecal IL-1β quantification in rats: Monitoring the molecular signals of neuropathic pain.
Neuropathic pain, or pain after nerve injury, is a disorder with a significant reliance on the signalling of cytokines such as IL-1β. However, quantifying the cytokine release repeatedly over time in vivo is technically challenging. ⋯ For the first time we have established that the SS based immunosensing platform technology can repeatedly sample the intrathecal space for bioactive peptides, such as IL-1β. Using this novel approach, we have been able to establish the correlation of the intrathecal concentration of IL-1β with the extent of mechanical allodynia, providing a molecular biomarker of the degree of the exaggerated pain state.
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Brain Behav. Immun. · Aug 2020
Randomized Controlled TrialImpact of acute inflammation on the extinction of aversive gut memories.
Impaired extinction of pain-related fear memories can lead to persistent or resurging fear of pain, contributing to the development and maintenance of chronic pain conditions. The mechanisms underlying maladaptive pain-related learning and memory processes remain incompletely understood, particularly in the context of interoceptive, visceral pain. Inflammation is known to interfere with learning and memory, but its effects on the extinction of pain-related fear memories have never been tested. ⋯ Despite pronounced LPS-induced effects on inflammatory markers, cortisol, and negative affect, we did not find evidence that acute inflammation resulted in altered fear extinction. The findings support the notion that visceral pain-related fear learning establishes a robust aversive memory trace that remains preserved during inhibitory learning, leaving a latent vulnerability for the return of fear. Inflammation during inhibitory learning did neither weaken nor further amplify this aversive memory trace, suggesting that it is rather resistant to acute inflammation-induced effects, at least in healthy individuals with no additional vulnerability factors.
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Brain Behav. Immun. · Aug 2020
PARP-1-regulated TNF-α expression in the dorsal root ganglia and spinal dorsal horn contributes to the pathogenesis of neuropathic pain in rats.
Emerging evidence has implicated poly-(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP-1), a transcriptional coregulator, in a variety of inflammatory diseases. In the current study, the role of PARP-1 in neuropathic pain and the underlying mechanisms were investigated. Neuropathic pain was determined by assessing the paw withdrawal threshold (PWT) and paw withdrawal latency (PWL) following lumbar 5 spinal nerve ligation (SNL) in male rates. ⋯ Co-IP assay revealed that SNL caused a significant increase in the level of histone H1 poly(ADP)-ribosylation. Together, these results indicate that PARP-1-regulated TNF-α expression in the DRG and spinal dorsal horn following SNL contributes to the development and maintenance of neuropathic pain. Targeting PARP-1 might be a promising therapeutic strategy for the treatment of the chronic pain.
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Brain Behav. Immun. · Aug 2020
Observational StudySubjective neurological symptoms frequently occur in patients with SARS-CoV2 infection.
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) represents a novel pneumonia leading to severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). Recent studies documented that SARS-Coronavirus2 (SARS-CoV2), responsible for COVID-19, can affect the nervous system. The aim of the present observational study was to prospectively assess subjective neurological symptoms (sNS) in patients with SARS-CoV2 infection. ⋯ Patients with SARS-CoV2 infection frequently present with sNS. These symptoms are present from the early phases of the disease. The possibly intrinsic neurotropic properties of SARS-CoV2 may justify the very high frequency of sNS. Further studies targeted at investigating the consequences of SARS-CoV2 infection on the CNS should be planned.