The effect of mild traumatic brain injury on cytokine expression in brain tissue

Greene, Ryan M.

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/24153 Copy

Description

Title

The effect of mild traumatic brain injury on cytokine expression in brain tissue

Author(s)

Greene, Ryan M.

Issue Date

2011-05-25T14:52:07Z

Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)

Woods, Jeffrey A.

Department of Study

Kinesiology & Community Health

Discipline

Kinesiology

Degree Granting Institution

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Degree Name

M.S.

Degree Level

Thesis

Keyword(s)

• Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI)
• Brain
• Cytokines

Abstract

Previous research suggests that mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) results in significant cognitive and behavioral learning deficit, as well as long-term depressive like behavior in mice. mTBI has been identified as a major initiating event in long-term depressive-like behavior and early fatality observed in soldiers returning from conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as athletes in amateur and professional sport. Purpose- The purpose of the proposed study was to investigate brain tissue for the presence of proinflammatory cytokines as a potential mechanism to explain long-term depressive-like behavior seen in previous mTBI studies. Methods- Male ICR mice (n=16) were randomly assigned to one of 2 treatment groups: mTBI (n=8) and Sham (n=8). Mice were anaesthetized and given mTBI by dropping a weight similar to previously measured body weight to an area located between the ear and the eye from a height of two feet. Baseline behavioral data was measured for both treatment groups for 8 days prior to treatment. Following mTBI, at the 48 and 72 hour time point, Roto-rod testing was conducted to ensure any differences in baseline behavioral deficit in either treatment group was not do to motor cortex impairment. Mice were sacrificed 7 days following treatment and tissue was tested for presence of proinflammatory cytokines detected via RtPCR. Results- There was only a significant treatment effect seen in the expression of proinflammatory cytokine TNF-α. All other proinflammatory cytokine expression had a high degree of variability between both groups. Roto-rod data confirmed there was no motor cortex deficit involved in deficit in behavioral measurements gathered following treatment. Conclusion- These circumstantial data suggest that proinflammatory cytokines may play a role in instigating long-term depressive like behavior by infiltrating neurological tissue in individuals afflicted with mTBI, but the weight drop model used to inflict mTBI was too mild to induce large scale significant changes in pro-inflammatory cytokines or long-term behavioral depression.

Graduation Semester

2011-05

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http://hdl.handle.net/2142/24153

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2011 Ryan M. Greene

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