Abstracts Category : Other

Immmunotherapy in a Rodent Model of Traumatic Brain Injury

by Amanda S Weissman

Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) affect millions of people yearly and can result in chronic post-concussive syndrome, neuropsychological and cognitive deficits, or chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Clinical trials have found that the gliosis-induced autoimmune response, which occurs through glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) activation, generated after TBI results in a second brain injury. The purpose of this study is to prevent the autoimmune response by injecting mice with a GFAP antigen. The experimental group was injected with GFAP antigen, and then blood was collected. Next, TBIs were induced by performing a craniotomy then using the controlled cortical impact model. Post-TBI, the Morris water maze (MWM) evaluated memory function, while the elevated plus maze (EPM) assessed anxiety levels. The mice then underwent perfusion, and their brains were dissected post-mortem. Results were gathered to determine how autoimmunity was triggered, how to prevent autoimmunity from being triggered, and on the behavioral tests. By injecting mice with GFAP antigens, it was discovered that autoimmunity by endogenous GFAP could be prevented to some extent. The MWM concluded immunized mice have better memory, and the EPM demonstrated non-immunized mice are more anxious. Overall, developing an immunization for TBI would be beneficial for millions of at-risk TBI candidates. ( en )