title: Social isolation alters neuroinflammatory response to stroke.
abstract: Social isolation has dramatic long-term physiological and psychological consequences; however, the mechanisms by which social isolation influences disease outcome are largely unknown. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of social isolation on neuronal damage, neuroinflammation, and functional outcome after focal cerebral ischemia. Male mice were socially isolated (housed individually) or pair housed with an ovariectomized female before induction of stroke, via transient intraluminal middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO), or SHAM surgery. In these experiments, peri-ischemic social isolation decreases poststroke survival rate and exacerbates infarct size and edema development. The social influence on ischemic damage is accompanied by an altered neuroinflammatory response; specifically, central interleukin-6 (IL-6) signaling is down-regulated, whereas peripheral IL-6 is up-regulated, in isolated relative to socially housed mice. In addition, intracerebroventricular injection of an IL-6 neutralizing antibody (10 ng) eliminates social housing differences in measures of ischemic outcome. Taken together, these data suggest that central IL-6 is an important mediator of social influences on stroke outcome.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Neuroscience and Psychology and Institute of Behavioral Medicine Research, Ohio State University, 29 Psychology Building, 1835 Neil Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
authors.forename: Kate
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Karelina
authors.forename: Greg J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Norman
authors.forename: Ning
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: John S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Morris
authors.forename: Haiyan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.forename: A Courtney
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: DeVries
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D020244:Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery; D007249:Inflammation / Q000209:etiology*; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000032:analysis / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D009474:Neurons / Q000473:pathology; D012934:Social Isolation; D020521:Stroke / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D015996:Survival Rate
chemical_list: D015850:Interleukin-6