Glucocorticoid exposure alters the pathogenesis of Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus during acute infection

• Published in: Physiology & behavior Vol. 95; no. 1; pp. 63 - 71
• Main Authors: Young, Erin E, Prentice, Thomas W, Satterlee, Danielle, McCullough, Heath, Sieve, Amy N, Johnson, Robin R, Welsh, Thomas H, Welsh, C. Jane R, Meagher, Mary W
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge Elsevier Inc 03.09.2008; New York, NY Elsevier
• Subjects: Animals; Behavioral psychophysiology; Biological and medical sciences; Body Weight - drug effects; Body Weight - physiology; Cardiovirus Infections - etiology; Cardiovirus Infections - metabolism; Cardiovirus Infections - mortality; Cardiovirus Infections - physiopathology; Central Nervous System - drug effects; Central Nervous System - pathology; Central Nervous System - virology; Corticosterone (CORT); Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Glucocorticoids - administration & dosage; Glucocorticoids - metabolism; Infectious diseases; Inflammation; Male; Medical sciences; Meningitis - etiology; Meningitis - pathology; Meningitis - virology; Mice; Mice, Inbred CBA; Mortality; Multiple sclerosis; Multiple sclerosis and variants. Guillain barré syndrome and other inflammatory polyneuropathies. Leukoencephalitis; Neurology; Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Restraint stress; Severity of Illness Index; Stress, Psychological - physiopathology; Survival Analysis; Theiler's encephalomyelitis virus; Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus (TMEV); Theilovirus - pathogenicity; Viral diseases; Restraint stress; Multiple sclerosis; Inflammation; Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus (TMEV); Corticosterone (CORT); Nervous system diseases; Steroid hormone; Corticosterone; Pathogenesis; Acute; Exposure; Murine encephalomyelitis; Glucocorticoid; TMEV; Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus; Inflammatory disease; Infection; Viral disease; Adrenal hormone; Central nervous system disease
• ISSN: 0031-9384; 1873-507X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2008.04.024

Abstract Previous research has shown that chronic restraint stress exacerbates Theiler's virus infection, a murine model for CNS inflammation and multiple sclerosis. The current set of experiments was designed to evaluate the potential role of glucocorticoids in the deleterious effects of restraint stress on acute CNS inflammatory disease. Exposure to chronic restraint stress resulted in elevated levels of corticosterone as well as increased clinical scores and weight loss (Experiment 1). In addition, corticosterone administration alone exacerbated behavioral signs of TMEV-induced sickness (i.e. decreased body weight, increased symptoms of encephalitis, and increased mortality) and reduced inflammation in the CNS (Experiment 2). Infected subjects receiving exogenous corticosterone showed exacerbation of acute phase measures of sickness and severe mortality as well as decreased viral clearance from CNS (Experiment 3). These findings indicate that corticosterone exposure alone is sufficient to exacerbate acute CNS inflammatory disease.