Could T Cell Therapies Treat Emotional Problems?

Emotional and behavioral disturbances accompany some autoimmune disorders with some regularity, and complex relationships between the immune system and neuropsychiatric disorders continue to be described, notably involving mood and obsessive-compulsive symptoms. These investigators studied mice lacking the recombination-activating gene (RAG-1), which results in deficiencies in B and T lymphocytes.

The RAG-1–deficient mice had gross brain histology and circulating cortisol and cytokine levels similar to control wild-type mice. However, the RAG-1–deficient mice displayed anxiety-like behaviors (increased digging and marble burying and lower self-care) and significant modulation of nine brain gene signaling pathways, including some associated w…