title: Neural circuitry engaged by prostaglandins during the sickness syndrome.
abstract: During illnesses caused by infectious disease or other sources of inflammation, a suite of brain-mediated responses called the sickness syndrome occurs, which includes fever, anorexia, sleepiness, hyperalgesia and elevated corticosteroid secretion. Much of the sickness syndrome is mediated by prostaglandins acting on the brain and can be prevented by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as aspirin or ibuprofen, that block prostaglandin synthesis. By examining which prostaglandins are produced at which sites and how they interact with the nervous system, researchers have identified specific neural circuits that underlie the sickness syndrome.
authors: Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. csaper@bidmc.harvard.edu
authors: Clifford B
authors: CB
authors: Saper
authors: Andrej A
authors: AA
authors: Romanovsky
authors: Thomas E
authors: TE
authors: Scammell
mesh_terms: D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005334:Fever / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011453:Prostaglandins / Q000378:metabolism*; D013577:Syndrome
chemical_list: D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D011453:Prostaglandins