William Harvey Research Institute, Barts and The London School of Medicine, Queen Mary University of London , London , UK.
Front Immunol. 2013 Nov 21;4:400. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2013.00400. eCollection 2013.
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.
自身免疫性疾病，如多发性硬化症（MS），已知与致残性情绪障碍有关，这些障碍在运动功能障碍发作之前就已经出现。鉴于 T 细胞在控制情绪和自身免疫方面的新兴作用，在这项研究中，我们在 MS 的小鼠模型中探索了 T 细胞活化与情绪行为变化之间可能存在的相关性。我们的结果表明，在免疫后第 4 天，血液中循环 T 细胞的数量就显著增加。这种淋巴细胞增多症随着时间的推移而保持稳定，并先于 T 细胞在中枢神经系统中的浸润。T 细胞进入血液的动力学与使用旷场试验测量的行为变化的动力学相匹配。用醋酸格拉替雷治疗，这是一种用于 MS 的著名免疫调节剂，在保留引流淋巴结中的 T 细胞的同时抑制了行为变化。这些结果共同证明了循环中 T 细胞的迁移与慢性炎症性疾病期间情绪变化之间存在正相关。在临床上验证这些发现可能有助于更好地理解患有 MS 或其他自身免疫性疾病的患者的情绪和心理负担的原因。最重要的是，我们的研究为治疗与自身免疫相关的情绪变化提供了新的治疗途径。
