Project Summary

Terrence Deak, Ph.D. (Young Investigator 2003) of State University of New York, Binghamton, is examining the effects of an increase in interleukin-1 (IL-1), a “pro-inflammatory cytokine.”  Cytokines are chemicals that increase following activation of the immune system, often by infectious agents, and orchestrate the immune response.  Acute infection in animals results in certain behaviors reminiscent of depression.  Previous work has shown that acute activation of the immune system increases the cytokine IL-1 for 2 days following injection.  The goal of this proposal is to determine the consequences of this prolonged increase in IL-1 in the pituitary gland and identify the time frame during which pituitary IL-1 remains elevated.

Program Area: MOOD DISORDERS\Depression (Unipolar)

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