Abstract
Autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS) are known to be associated with debilitating emotional disorders that manifest long before the flaring of motor dysfunctions. Given the emerging role of T cells in controlling both emotions and autoimmunity, in this study we explored possible correlation between T cell activation and changes in emotional behavior in a mouse model of MS. Our results showed a significant increase in blood circulating T cells as soon as at day 4 post immunization. This lymphocytosis remained stable with time and preceded the infiltration of T cell in the CNS. The kinetic of T cell entry in the blood matched the kinetic of changes in behavior measured using the open field test. Treatment with glatiramer acetate, a well-known immunomodulatory drug for MS, suppressed behavioral changes while retaining the T cells in the draining lymph nodes. Together these results provide evidence of a positive correlation between the emigration of T cells in circulation and changes in emotions during chronic inflammatory diseases. The validation of these findings in the clinic might help to better understand the cause of the emotional and psychological burden of patients suffering MS or other autoimmune diseases. Most importantly our study suggests novel therapeutic venues for the treatment of the emotional changes associated with autoimmunity.
Highlights
A wealth of studies in the literature has indicated a significant increase in emotional changes in patients suffering from multiple sclerosis (MS) [1,2,3] as well as from other autoimmune diseases [4]
Most importantly, when we counted the number of T cells in the draining lymph nodes, we could observed a significant increase in cell number in mice treated with glatiramer acetate (GA) compared to those receiving PBS control (Figure 6B)
Emerging evidences have shown that T cells contribute to functions other than those related to the immune response [30, 33, 46,47,48,49,50]
Summary
A wealth of studies in the literature has indicated a significant increase in emotional changes in patients suffering from multiple sclerosis (MS) [1,2,3] as well as from other autoimmune diseases [4]. Major depression [5,6,7], bipolar depression [2, 8], anxiety [9,10,11], alcohol abuse [12, 13], and other substance abuses [14] are all at an increased prevalence in MS population These emotional dysfunctions are not a reactive psychological response to the impact of this pathology on the patient’s life style and have been correlated with the development of MS and other autoimmune diseases. The depression and anxiety rates are higher in MS than in those patients experiencing other chronic diseases [15]. MS patients show a higher rate of suicides when compared to a normal population with most occurring within 5 years of diagnosis [16, 17]
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