| First Author | Armario A | Year | 1998 |
| Journal | J Neuroimmunol | Volume | 92 |
| Issue | 1-2 | Pages | 160-9 |
| PubMed ID | 9916891 | Mgi Jnum | J:53626 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:1333023 | Doi | 10.1016/s0165-5728(98)00199-4 |
| Citation | Armario A, et al. (1998) IL-6 deficiency leads to increased emotionality in mice: evidence in transgenic mice carrying a null mutation for IL-6. J Neuroimmunol 92(1-2):160-9 |
| abstractText | The role of interleukin-6 (IL-6) on emotional behavior was studied in two experiments using transgenic mice carrying a null mutation for IL-6 (IL-6(-/-)). In the first experiment, IL-6(-/-) mice were compared with the two wild-type strains contributing to the genetic background of the transgenic mice, namely C57BL/6J and 129/SvJ, as well as with the F2 offspring of C57BL/6J x 129/SvJ mice. The two parental strains differed substantially in terms of emotional reactivity, suggesting that the F2 offspring were more appropriated for analyzing the effect of the null mutation. IL-6(-/-) mice showed lower levels of ambulation in the holeboard, and lower levels of exploration of the open arms of the plus-maze, than the wild-type F2 C57BL/6J x 129/SvJ mice. In the second experiment, IL-6(-/-) mice were backcrossed for 10 generations to C57BL/6J mice to decrease the uncertainty of the effect of the genetic background, and when compared with wild-type C57BL/6J mice in the holeboard and the plus-maze, the same results were obtained. Therefore, IL-6(-/-) mice seem to be more emotional than their appropriate controls, suggesting that the major cytokine IL-6 is involved in the control of emotionality. |
