Brain, behavior, & immunity - health最新文献

{"title":"Glial activation and increase in cerebral pro-inflammatory cytokine expression in a female animal post-COVID model","authors":"Silvia Flaj Prados ,&nbsp;Esperanza Herradón Pliego ,&nbsp;Carlos Goicoechea Garcia ,&nbsp;Eva Ma Sánchez-Robles ,&nbsp;Lars Arendt-Nielsen ,&nbsp;Cesar Fernández-de-las-Peñas ,&nbsp;Visitación López-Miranda","doi":"10.1016/j.bbih.2025.101148","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bbih.2025.101148","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>Many COVID-19 survivors suffer long-term multi-organ damage leading to some symptoms such as brain fog. Around 25 % of patients report persistent memory loss, concentration difficulties, or other cognitive impairments after a SARS-COV-2 infection. Animal models are crucial for studying the pathophysiology of post-acute COVID-19 sequelae (PASC).</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>To assess the presence of neuro-inflammatory and glial activation biomarkers in brain tissue after a SARS-CoV-2 infection in an animal model to better understand the pathophysiology of neurocognitive symptoms.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Twelve C57BL/6 female hACE2 mice infected with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant (BA.1.17 lineage) and eleven non-infected female mice were included. Different proteins evaluating the innate immune activation in neuro-inflammation (TLR4, MyD88, NF-κB signalling pathway), inflammatory state (interleukins IL-6, IL-18 and IL-1β), and glial neuro-inflammatory response (CD11d, Iba1, GFAP expression) were evaluated from cerebral tissue 28 days after infection.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>As compared to non-infected mice, significant higher (p = 0.014) post-COVID expression of IL-18 (suggesting an inflammatory state) and significant higher (p = 0.0473) post-COVID GFAP expression (indicating enhanced astrocytic glia activation in response to the infection) was observed in brain tissue. No significant differences in TLR4 (p = 0.512), MyD88 (p = 0.151), NF-κB p65 (p = 0.712), IL-6 (p = 0.962), IL-1β (p = 0.343), CD11d (p = 0.750), and Iba1 (p = 0.935) expressions were observed.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>This study provides evidence on brain neuro-inflammation, highlighting glial activation and IL-18 overexpression after an acute SARS-CoV-2 infection. These findings improve current understanding of post-COVID neuroinflammation and could aid in the design of treatment strategies for persistent neurological sequelae, such as cognitive impairment and mental confusion.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":72454,"journal":{"name":"Brain, behavior, & immunity - health","volume":"50 ","pages":"Article 101148"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145684291","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Functional olfactory impairment and fatigue in post-COVID-19 syndrome including ME/CFS – a longitudinal prospective observational study","authors":"Lil Meyer-Arndt ,&nbsp;Greta Pierchalla ,&nbsp;Lukas Mödl ,&nbsp;Felix Wohlrab ,&nbsp;Franziska Legler ,&nbsp;Uta Hoppmann ,&nbsp;Claudia Kedor ,&nbsp;Kirsten Wittke ,&nbsp;Helma Freitag ,&nbsp;Frank Konietschke ,&nbsp;Heidi Olze ,&nbsp;Friedemann Paul ,&nbsp;Carmen Scheibenbogen ,&nbsp;Judith Bellmann-Strobl ,&nbsp;Ulrike Förster-Ruhrmann","doi":"10.1016/j.bbih.2025.101124","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bbih.2025.101124","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Post-COVID-19 syndrome (PCS) affects a significant proportion of individuals, with olfactory impairment and fatigue as prominent long-term symptoms. A subset of PCS patients with pronounced fatigue meets the diagnostic criteria for myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), here referred to as PCS-ME/CFS. This study explores the relationship between PCS, fatigue, and olfactory function, and investigates the potential of olfactory impairment as a diagnostic and prognostic marker.</div><div>We assessed olfactory function up to 28 months post-COVID-19 in 45 PCS patients (22 PCS, 23 PCS-ME/CFS) using the extended Sniffin’ Sticks test, which evaluates odor threshold, discrimination, and identification, providing a composite score. Fatigue severity and health-related quality of life were assessed using validated questionnaires, a standardized test measured cognitive function, and handgrip strength indicated physical fatiguability.</div><div>Both PCS and PCS-ME/CFS patients showed significant improvement in olfactory function, with all patients returning to normosmia after 20 months, regardless of diagnosis. While odor threshold was the most affected olfactory measure in Sniffin’ Sticks testing, odor identification was the only measure that remained impaired over time. Olfactory impairment correlated with cognitive, physical, and mental performance, with stronger correlations in the PCS group, particularly linking better odor discrimination at baseline to improved daily functioning and health-related quality of life after 20 months.</div><div>Our findings suggest that odor identification assessed in standardized testing may remain impaired the longest in patients with persisting symptoms after COVID-19, reflecting persisting central processing difficulties. Correlations between olfactory performance, cognitive function, and physical ability point to shared underlying mechanisms. Early olfactory improvements may be linked to better long-term cognitive outcomes, highlighting a possible prognostic role of olfactory function in these patients.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":72454,"journal":{"name":"Brain, behavior, & immunity - health","volume":"50 ","pages":"Article 101124"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145428836","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Inflammatory predictors of Post-COVID fatigue","authors":"A. Nuber-Champier ,&nbsp;G. Breville ,&nbsp;P. Voruz ,&nbsp;I. Jacot de Alcântara ,&nbsp;P.H. Lalive ,&nbsp;G. Allali ,&nbsp;L. Benzakour ,&nbsp;K.-O. Lövblad ,&nbsp;O. Braillard ,&nbsp;M. Nehme ,&nbsp;M. Coen ,&nbsp;J. Serratrice ,&nbsp;J.-L. Reny ,&nbsp;J. Pugin ,&nbsp;I. Guessous ,&nbsp;B.N. Landis ,&nbsp;A. Cionca ,&nbsp;F. Assal ,&nbsp;J.A. Péron","doi":"10.1016/j.bbih.2025.101109","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bbih.2025.101109","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The biological mechanisms underlying objective and subjective fatigue in post-COVID syndrome remain unclear. This study investigates whether immune responses during the acute phase of SARS-CoV-2 infection predict fatigue dimensions 6–9 months post-infection. We analyzed serum immune markers from 54 hospitalized patients (mean age: 58.69 ± 10.90 yrs; female: 31 %) and assessed their association with chronic fatigue using general linear mixed models. Elevated levels of IL-1RA, IFNγ, TNFα, and monocyte percentage during acute infection predicted increased physical and total fatigue. Additionally, higher TNFα levels (r = −0.40, <em>p</em> = .019) correlated with reduced awareness of cognitive fatigue. These findings highlight the role of acute inflammation in the persistence of post-COVID fatigue.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":72454,"journal":{"name":"Brain, behavior, & immunity - health","volume":"49 ","pages":"Article 101109"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145159156","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Alterations in functional connectivity analyzed using MREG in patients with suspected autoimmune psychosis spectrum syndromes","authors":"Katharina von Zedtwitz ,&nbsp;Ludger Tebartz van Elst ,&nbsp;Isabelle Matteit ,&nbsp;Andrea Schlump ,&nbsp;Thomas Lange ,&nbsp;Kimon Runge ,&nbsp;Judith Weiser ,&nbsp;Kathrin Nickel ,&nbsp;Katharina Domschke ,&nbsp;Harald Prüss ,&nbsp;Alexander Rau ,&nbsp;Marco Reisert ,&nbsp;Simon J. Maier ,&nbsp;Bernd Feige ,&nbsp;Dominique Endres","doi":"10.1016/j.bbih.2025.101111","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bbih.2025.101111","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>In NMDA-R encephalitis, which is typically accompanied by psychotic symptoms, conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is often normal, despite widespread alterations in functional connectivity. This is the first functional connectivity study in psychiatric patients with suspected autoimmune psychosis (AP) spectrum syndromes.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Twenty-eight patients with suspected AP spectrum syndromes who were selected according to the concept of autoimmune psychiatric syndromes (APS) and 28 matched healthy controls (HCs) were examined with ultrafast functional MRI using magnetic resonance encephalography (MREG). Patients were positive for either well-characterized or novel central nervous system antibodies or well-characterized systemic antibodies with autoimmune brain involvement. MREG data were processed using “Analysis of Functional NeuroImages” (AFNI) with the “Functional And Tractographic Connectivity Analysis AFNI toolbox” to analyze connectivity across 170 regions, yielding an analysis of 5995 evaluable connectivities.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>After correction for multiple testing, functional connectivity between the left middle cingulate/paracingulate gyri and the right insula (p_adj = 0.025) was significantly reduced in the patient group compared to HCs. Exploratory analyses revealed widespread global functional connectivity alterations in 226 of all connections (corresponding to 3.8 %). Notably, of these altered connections, 99 % showed reduced connectivity, while 1 % showed hyperconnectivity. The medial pulvinar of the left thalamus emerged as the most disconnected hub with altered connectivity to 33 other regions. Overall, 46 % of all analyzed regions exhibited at least one altered functional connectivity, with 19 % of hubs located in the cerebellum, 11 % in the frontal brain, and 9 % in the thalami. After correction for multiple comparisons, increased connectivity between the left insula and the left superior temporal gyrus correlated with the Beck Depression Inventory scores (p_adj = 0.043).</div></div><div><h3>Discussion</h3><div>Patients with suspected AP spectrum syndromes exhibit altered insular functional connectivity associated with the severity of depressive symptoms. Broader changes identified via hypothesis-generating analyses highlighted major hubs in the cerebellum, frontal brain, and thalamus. These findings suggest that functional MRI may serve as an additional tool for detecting patients with AP/APS. Future studies in more homogeneous autoimmune-mediated patient groups may help delineate specific connectivity signatures in functional networks.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":72454,"journal":{"name":"Brain, behavior, & immunity - health","volume":"49 ","pages":"Article 101111"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145268835","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Assessing the neuroendocrine and psychological effects of acute everolimus administration in healthy male participants","authors":"Lucie Jacquet ,&nbsp;Anna Lena Friedel ,&nbsp;Elisa Orth ,&nbsp;Nathalie Reiser ,&nbsp;Tina Hörbelt-Grünheidt ,&nbsp;Sophie Wiczoreck ,&nbsp;Oliver Witzke ,&nbsp;Manfred Schedlowski ,&nbsp;Marie Jakobs","doi":"10.1016/j.bbih.2025.101120","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bbih.2025.101120","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Previous experimental studies have shown that immunosuppressive mechanistic target of rapamycin inhibitors can induce neuropsychological changes, such as anxiety and depression, in healthy rodents. Furthermore, psychiatric conditions including anxiety have been reported in transplant patients and healthy subjects receiving the mechanistic target of rapamycin inhibitor everolimus. Thus, the present study aimed to further investigate the potentially dose-dependent neuroendocrine and psychological adverse side effects of acute everolimus intake in healthy male subjects. To this end, P70S6 kinase and Akt expression and phosphorylation in peripheral mononuclear blood cells as well as plasma and saliva cortisol, plasma noradrenaline and plasma dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate have been evaluated via western blotting and ELISA. State anxiety and depression have been assessed using questionnaires. Administering 2.5 mg of everolimus four times significantly increased blood peak levels. Additionally, acute everolimus intake led to decreased P70S6 kinase and slightly increased Akt phosphorylation, while protein expression remained unregulated. However, no effects on neuroendocrine parameters including cortisol, noradrenaline and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate have been reported. Consistent with these findings, acute everolimus administration had no impact on psychological parameters, such as anxiety and depression. Overall, the present study demonstrated that the acute administration of 2.5 mg everolimus in healthy men does not lead to neuroendocrine or psychological adverse side effects. However, as other studies have reported neuroendocrine alterations as well as anxiety- and depression-like symptoms at lower everolimus doses, these findings should be further verified to determine whether everolimus induces psychiatric side effects in a dose-dependent manner.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":72454,"journal":{"name":"Brain, behavior, & immunity - health","volume":"49 ","pages":"Article 101120"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145268333","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Blood diagnostic biomarkers for neurologic manifestations of long COVID","authors":"A.S. Padhye ,&nbsp;I.J. Koralnik ,&nbsp;B.A. Hanson ,&nbsp;L. Visvabharathy ,&nbsp;R.K. DeLisle ,&nbsp;G. Tachas","doi":"10.1016/j.bbih.2025.101110","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bbih.2025.101110","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>SARS-CoV-2 responsible for COVID-19 caused a global pandemic, with billions of infections, millions of deaths and ongoing manifestations post COVID-19. “Long Covid”, a Post-Acute Sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC), is an ongoing global healthcare problem, affecting all age groups, with many manifestations, and occurring despite vaccines and antivirals. Neurologic manifestations of PASC (Neuro-PASC) such as brain fog can last for years and are amongst the most debilitating and prevalent. There is a need for diagnostic tools and treatments.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Plasma samples from 48 non-hospitalized PASC patients with diagnosed Neuro-PASC symptoms (NP), 20 convalescent control (CC) subjects, and 24 unvaccinated healthy control (HC) subjects, was used to generate data on over 7000 proteins using the SomaLogic® proteomics platform. ProViz® software was used to perform T-tests, U-Tests, ANOVA and Kruskalis-Wallis tests at a Bonferroni p &lt; 0.05 and a Benjamini-Hochberg corrected False Discovery Rate &lt;0.02, and box plots and knowhow used to identify diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>C5a, TGFβ1, and Gliomedin, used together differentiated patients with Neuro-PASC from control subjects with 94 % sensitivity and 86 % specificity, a 90 % accuracy. Additional biomarkers, Gal3ST1, IFNλ1, and GHRH, improved accuracy to 94 %, and a combination of 5 more biomarkers, LFA-3, FASLG + Transgelin-1 and GPNMB + IGHG1, improved accuracy close to 100 %. These markers are suggestive of pathways involved in Neuro-PASC pathogenesis. A dozen partly overlying biomarkers were modulated to which there are FDA approved drugs.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>C5a, TGFβ1, Gliomedin expressed highly in serum could be developed as a diagnostic tool, and with clinical assessment used to personalize treatments with repurposed novel drugs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":72454,"journal":{"name":"Brain, behavior, & immunity - health","volume":"49 ","pages":"Article 101110"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145325427","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"High dietary phosphate intake induces anxiety in normal male mice","authors":"Pavel Yanev ,&nbsp;Thomas A. Ujas ,&nbsp;Han-Kyul Kim ,&nbsp;Teppei Fujikawa ,&nbsp;Noriyoshi Isozumi ,&nbsp;Eiichiro Mori ,&nbsp;Jadwiga Turchan-Cholewo ,&nbsp;Connor Stuart ,&nbsp;Rowan Sturgill ,&nbsp;Shari G. Birnbaum ,&nbsp;Ann M. Stowe ,&nbsp;Wanpen Vongpatanasin","doi":"10.1016/j.bbih.2025.101112","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bbih.2025.101112","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Diet is increasingly recognized as an important risk factor for mental health. Inorganic phosphate (Pi) is currently used as a flavor enhancer or preservative at an unregulated amount in the western diet despite evidence that excessive dietary Pi intake associates with metabolic and cardiovascular disorders. The impact of high Pi on brain function remains poorly understood. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of chronic consumption of high dietary phosphate on behavior, neurovascular health, and neuroimmune populations, and cortical gene expression in key brain regions associated with emotional regulation.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Adult C57BL/6 male mice were fed either a normal phosphate (NP) or high phosphate (HP) diet for 12 weeks. Behavioral assessments included the open field test (OFT) and fear conditioning. Histological analyses assessed neuronal densities and vascularization. Flow cytometry quantified brain-resident immune cell populations and microglia. Unbiased analysis of hippocampal gene expression was performed using RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq).</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>HP-fed mice exhibited increased anxiety-like behaviors compared to NP-fed controls, as indicated by increased thigmotaxis (i.e., more time close to the walls and, consequently, less time spent in the central area, HP: 164 ± 61 vs. NP: 215 ± 54 s, <em>P</em> = 0.03) in the OFT and increased time freezing regardless of stimulus type during fear conditioning. Neuronal density is significantly decreased in the hypothalamus of HP-fed mice (21.9 % ± 4.5 % vs. 16.4 ± 2.9 %, <em>P</em> = 0.02) but without concomitant differences in brain vascularization. Immunophenotyping showed that HP-diet significantly reduced TCRβ⁺ T cells and NK1.1⁺ NK cells (both <em>P</em> &lt; 0.05), suggesting diet-induced alterations in neuroimmune homeostasis. RNA-Seq identified significant alterations in gene expression in the hippocampus, including upregulation of Neat1 and Stat3 and downregulation of Igf2, which are implicated in stress regulation, neurodegeneration, synaptic plasticity and immune system pathways.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Collectively, this study highlights that habitual consumption of high dietary phosphate in mice may induce chronic anxiety<em>,</em> accompanied by significant changes in the neuronal and brain-resident immune populations. The data point to a potential link between dietary Pi, neuroinflammation, and the pathogenesis of anxiety and depression in otherwise healthy young male mice. Given the prevalence of phosphate additives in processed foods, these findings have important public health implications supporting the regulation of Pi in the food industry.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":72454,"journal":{"name":"Brain, behavior, & immunity - health","volume":"49 ","pages":"Article 101112"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145121291","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Changes of cognitive functions and proinflammatory cytokines across the lifespan in latent Toxoplasma gondii infection","authors":"Patrick D. Gajewski ,&nbsp;Peter Bröde ,&nbsp;Maren Claus ,&nbsp;Klaus Golka ,&nbsp;Jan G. Hengstler ,&nbsp;Jörg Reinders ,&nbsp;Carsten Watzl ,&nbsp;Edmund Wascher ,&nbsp;Stephan Getzmann","doi":"10.1016/j.bbih.2025.101105","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bbih.2025.101105","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Recent findings showed serious consequences of latent <em>T. gondii</em> infection on the central nervous system, leading to psychiatric, immunological and cognitive impairments. However, little is known about the temporal dynamics of the latent <em>T. gondii</em> infection in respect to immunological and cognitive changes across the adult life span. The present study aims at evaluating the course of cognitive changes across the adult life span in relation to latent <em>T. gondii</em> infection and the interplay with proinflammatory cytokines leading to chronic inflammation as a potential origin of the cognitive decline in infected adults.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>In a double-blinded cross-sectional design, data of 218 seropositive and 475 seronegative adults aged between 20 and 88 years were compared regarding crucial cognitive domains: processing speed, working memory, immediate and delayed memory, sustained attention, and executive functions. In a subsample of up to 300 participants, concentrations of proinflammatory cytokines IL-6, IL-8, IL-18, and TNF-α were analyzed to evaluate their interaction with <em>T. gondii,</em> and to determine whether the cytokines interact in their effects on cognition across the lifespan.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The results showed an interaction between age and <em>T. gondii</em> status, with a decline in cognitive performance in infected, relative to non-infected, older individuals, and the reversed pattern in young to middle-aged adults. Specifically, this pattern was evident in working memory, immediate and delayed recall, as well as switching ability. Age was associated with increased levels of proinflammatory cytokines, and reduced concentration of <em>T. gondii</em> antibodies. IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-α levels were negatively associated with <em>T. gondii</em> antibody level and cognitive performance. Finally, <em>T. gondii</em> interacted with IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-α, predicting superior performance in immediate and delayed memory tasks in younger adults with high levels of <em>T. gondii</em> IgG antibodies and cytokines, whereas <em>T. gondii</em> IgG antibody and cytokine levels played less of a role for these functions in older age.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>The findings support a model of dynamically shifting effects of <em>T. gondii</em> and proinflammatory cytokines on the central nervous system and cognition with increasing age, suggesting positive effects of <em>T. gondii</em> infections in younger adults, and neuroinflammatory effects in older age presumably due to chronic inflammation. Given the high prevalence of latent toxoplasmosis in the general population and the growing population of older adults, these findings are of relevance for public health.</div></div><div><h3>Trial registration</h3><div>Clinicaltrials.gov NCT05155397.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":72454,"journal":{"name":"Brain, behavior, & immunity - health","volume":"49 ","pages":"Article 101105"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145097899","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Memory under siege: the cognitive costs of smoking and vaping","authors":"Brian G. Oliver ,&nbsp;Qi Wang ,&nbsp;Rochelle A. Yarak ,&nbsp;Tharathip Hikasem ,&nbsp;Catherine A. Gorrie ,&nbsp;Chenju Yi ,&nbsp;Hui Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.bbih.2025.101102","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bbih.2025.101102","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Memory function is critically essential across all life stages, yet it is increasingly compromised by exposure to airborne pollutants due to human behaviours. This review examines the adverse impacts of tobacco smoke and e-cigarette vapour on memory function, emphasising the risks to younger populations. Both pollutants are potent oxidants that induce oxidative stress and inflammatory responses in the brain, leading to synaptic injury and neuronal apoptosis. These processes compromise neuronal integrity and function, potentially resulting in early-onset dementia. Additionally, third-hand exposure to tobacco smoke and e-cigarette vapour, through re-exposure to toxic chemicals on surfaces or clothing, poses significant risks, especially to toddlers. Epigenetic mechanisms, including DNA methylation and histone modification, further exacerbate these effects by altering gene expression critical for brain development and function. This review highlights the necessity for further research to develop risk-reduction strategies to protect cognitive health from these pollutants.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":72454,"journal":{"name":"Brain, behavior, & immunity - health","volume":"49 ","pages":"Article 101102"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145097902","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Corrigendum to “Induction of endogenous IL-10 promotes resolution and tolerance of nitric oxide in microglia” [Brain Behav. Immun. Health 49 (2025) 101094]","authors":"Hsing-Chun Kuo ,&nbsp;Jia-Shing Chen ,&nbsp;Chun-Nun Chao ,&nbsp;Kam-Fai Lee ,&nbsp;Yi-Te Huang ,&nbsp;Pin-Cheng Mao ,&nbsp;Tzu-Chia Lin ,&nbsp;Shu-Chen Chiu ,&nbsp;Ya-Ling Huang ,&nbsp;Chun-Hsien Chu","doi":"10.1016/j.bbih.2025.101116","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bbih.2025.101116","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":72454,"journal":{"name":"Brain, behavior, & immunity - health","volume":"49 ","pages":"Article 101116"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145465878","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}