On the association between lipopolysaccharide induced catalepsy and serotonin metabolism in the brain of mice genetically different in the predisposition to catalepsy

The study of the interaction between nervous and immune systems in the mechanism of psychopathology is an important problem of neuroscience. Catalepsy (freezing reaction) is a passive defensive strategy in response to threatening stimuli. An exaggerated form of catalepsy is a syndrome of some grave mental disorders. Both the brain serotonin (5-HT) and immune systems were shown to be involved in the mechanism of catalepsy. Here we compared the effects of two doses (50 or 200 μg/kg, ip) of innate immune system activator, bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS), on catalepsy, 5-HT and its main metabolite, 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid (5-HIAA) in the hippocampus, striatum, and midbrain of mice of catalepsy-prone (CBA/Lac and AKR.CBA-D13Mit76) and catalepsy-resistant (AKR/J) strains. The expression of LPS-induced catalepsy as well as 5-HIAA/5-HT ratio in the midbrain and striatum were significantly higher in mice of the catalepsy-prone strains compared with animals of the catalepsy-resistant strains. These results indicated an involvement of the brain 5-HT system in the cataleptogenic effect of LPS and open up new vistas for understanding the nervous-immune mechanism of behavioral disorders.