Impact of colitis on stress-induced activation of central neurons

Abstract

Background: Stress can aggravate various pathologies including chronic inflammatory and psychiatric disorders. A higher prevalence of anxiety and depressive disorders is documented in patients suffering from inflammatory bowel diseases. Aims: Given this background, the aim of this study was to test the effects of acute stress and colitis on activation of stress-relevant neurons in the mouse brain. Methods: Mice were treated with 2% dextran sulfate sodium (DSS, added to the drinking water) to induce mild colitis, whereas control mice drank normal tap water. After 7 days of treatment, the mice either underwent a 30-minute session of water avoidance stress (WAS) or remained unstressed. Ninety minutes after WAS brains were removed and processed for immunohistochemistry of c-Fos, a marker of neuronal activation. The number of c-Fos expressing cells in brain regions of the limbic system was quantified by computer-assisted cell counting. Results: Stress increased the number of c-Fos expressing cells in the cingulate cortex (P

Datum der Bewilligung	2014
Originalsprache	Englisch
Gradverleihende Hochschule	Medizinische Universität Graz
Betreuer/-in	Florian Reichmann (Betreuer*in) & Peter Holzer (Mitbetreuer*in)