In many species, members of a group respond to their conspecifics’ physiological and emotional states. In some situations, affective mirroring is present, in which the affective state seems to be socially transmitted from one conspecific to another. However, it is unclear if the same phenomenon occurs in inflammatory states. In a recent preprint (not peer-reviewed), Quintana et al. explored the potential transmission of inflammation in mice. After injecting lipopolysaccharide (LPS) into mouse pups to induce inflammation, the researchers discovered a rise in corticosterone levels in their mothers, as well as an increase in maternal behavior. Quantitative PCR also revealed an increase in inflammatory transcripts in the mother’s brain. Mothers still exhibited this inflammatory state when the pups injected with LPS were placed in a cage next to the one housing the dams, indicating that social transmission of inflammation might not require physical contact. Pairs of adult females that were housed together showed no social transmission of inflammation after one of the females was injected with LPS, indicating that the effect is not consistent over a range of ages and relationships. The female bystander, however, responded more strongly to LPS, indicating that exposure to an adult sick animal potentiated the inflammatory response to LPS. These findings highlight the social transmission of inflammation, complementing previous research on the social transmission of fear and pain.

Original reference: Quintana, S.C. et al. Preprint at bioRxiv https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.02.29.582723 (2024)

在许多物种中，群体成员会对同种的生理和情绪状态做出反应。在某些情况下，存在情感镜像，其中情感状态似乎通过社会方式从一个同种传播到另一个同种。然而，尚不清楚同样的现象是否发生在炎症状态下。在最近的预印本（未经同行评审）中，Quintana 等人。探索了小鼠体内炎症的潜在传播。在给幼鼠注射脂多糖（LPS）以诱导炎症后，研究人员发现其母亲的皮质酮水平上升，并且母亲的行为也有所增加。定量 PCR 还显示母亲大脑中的炎症转录本有所增加。当注射了脂多糖的幼崽被放在母鼠旁边的笼子里时，母鼠仍然表现出这种炎症状态，这表明炎症的社会传播可能不需要身体接触。饲养在一起的一对成年雌性在其中一只雌性注射脂多糖后没有表现出炎症的社会传播，这表明在不同年龄和关系范围内效果并不一致。然而，女性旁观者对 LPS 的反应更为强烈，这表明接触成年患病动物会增强对 LPS 的炎症反应。这些发现强调了炎症的社会传播，补充了之前关于恐惧和疼痛的社会传播的研究。

Original reference: Quintana, S.C. et al. Preprint at bioRxiv https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.02.29.582723 (2024)