Infection, learning, and memory: Focus on immune activation and aversive conditioning

Indra R Bishnoi; Caylen J Cloutier; Cashmeira-Dove Tyson; Vangel M Matic; Martin Kavaliers; Klaus-Peter Ossenkopp

doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104898

Infection, learning, and memory: Focus on immune activation and aversive conditioning

Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2022 Nov:142:104898. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104898. Epub 2022 Sep 29.

Authors

Indra R Bishnoi¹, Caylen J Cloutier², Cashmeira-Dove Tyson³, Vangel M Matic³, Martin Kavaliers⁴, Klaus-Peter Ossenkopp⁵

Affiliations

¹ Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada. Electronic address: ibishnoi@uwo.ca.
² Department of Psychology, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada.
³ Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada.
⁴ Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada; Department of Psychology, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada; Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, University of Guelph, Guelph, Canada.
⁵ Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada; Department of Psychology, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada.

PMID: 36183862
DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104898

Abstract

Here we review the effects of immune activation primarily via lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a cell wall component of Gram-negative bacteria, on hippocampal and non-hippocampal-dependent learning and memory. Rodent studies have found that LPS alters both the acquisition and consolidation of aversive learning and memory, such as those evoking evolutionarily adaptive responses like fear and disgust. The inhibitory effects of LPS on the acquisition and consolidation of contextual fear memory are discussed. LPS-induced alterations in the acquisition of taste and place-related conditioned disgust memory within bottle preference tasks and taste reactivity tests (taste-related), in addition to conditioned context avoidance tasks and the anticipatory nausea paradigm (place-related), are highlighted. Further, conditioned disgust memory consolidation may also be influenced by LPS-induced effects. Growing evidence suggests a central role of immune activation, especially pro-inflammatory cytokine activity, in eliciting the effects described here. Understanding how infection-induced immune activation alters learning and memory is increasingly important as bacterial and viral infections are found to present a risk of learning and memory impairment.

Keywords: Anticipatory nausea; Conditioned disgust; Conditioned taste aversion; Conditioned taste avoidance; Contextual fear conditioning; Lipopolysaccharide.

Publication types

Review
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
Avoidance Learning*
Behavior, Animal / physiology
Conditioning, Psychological / physiology
Lipopolysaccharides* / pharmacology
Lithium Chloride / pharmacology
Taste

Substances

Lipopolysaccharides
Lithium Chloride