Cytokine-induced sickness behavior
Abstract
The behavioral repertoire of humans and animals changes dramatically following infection. Sick individuals have little motivation to eat, are listless, complain of fatigue and malaise, loose interest in social activities and have significant changes in sleep patterns. They display an inability to experience pleasure, have exaggerated responses to pain and fail to concentrate. Proinflammatory cytokines acting in the brain cause sickness behaviors. These nearly universal behavioral changes are a manifestation of a central motivational state that is designed to promote recovery. Exaggerated symptoms of sickness in cancer patients, such as cachexia, can be life-threatening. However, quality of life is often drastically impaired before the cancer becomes totally debilitating. Although basic studies in psychoneuroimmunology have defined proinflammatory cytokines as the central mediators of sickness behavior, a much better understanding of how cytokine and neurotransmitter receptors communicate with each other is needed. Advances that have been made during the past decade should now be extended to clinical studies in an attempt to alleviate sickness symptoms and improve quality of life for cancer patients.
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These changes in behavior are now widely believed to be an important part of the healing process, and can be considered to be the expression of a motivational state that resets an individual's priorities to promote resistance to pathogens and facilitate recovery from infection.
“Previously believed to be mere artifacts of exogenous cytokines, these changes in behavior are now widely believed to be an important part of the healing process, and can be considered to be the expression of a motivational state that resets an individual's priorities to promote resistance to pathogens and facilitate recovery from infection (Kelley et al. 2003).”
From Parasite-stress promotes in-group assortative sociality: The cases of strong family ties and heightened religiosity (2012) · cites this paper as Kelley et al. 2003
Diseased animals show decreased motor activity and food intake, reduced foraging, less exploratory behavior, increased sleep, and decreased grooming behavior.
“Research describes a syndrome associated with cytokine activity where diseased animals will show decreased motor activity and food intake, reduced foraging, less exploratory behavior, increased sleep, and decreased grooming behavior (Kelley et al. 2003).”
From Parasite-stress promotes in-group assortative sociality: The cases of strong family ties and heightened religiosity (2012) · cites this paper as Kelley et al. 2003
The action of pro-inflammatory cytokines not only serves to neutralize pathogens in the body, but also may play a role in neurological changes that increase the likelihood of sickness behaviors, which cause an organism to not over-exert itself while it is still vulnerable and on the mend.
“The action of pro-inflammatory cytokines not only serves to neutralize pathogens in the body, but also may play a role in neurological changes that increase the likelihood of sickness behaviors, which cause an organism to not over-exert itself while it is still vulnerable and on the mend.”
From Parasite-stress promotes in-group assortative sociality: The cases of strong family ties and heightened religiosity (2012) · cites this paper as Kelley et al. 2003
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- Authors
- Kelley, K. W., Bluthé, R.-M., Dantzer, R., Zhou, J.-H., Shen, W.-H., Johnson, R. W., & Broussard, S. R.
- Affiliations
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (US)
- Inserm (FR)
- Corresponding author
- Kelley, Keith W.
- Venue
- Brain, Behavior, and Immunity
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2003-02
- Volume
- 17
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 112-118
- ISSN
- 0889-1591 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2012968633
- Cited by
- 716
- References
- 7
- Citations by year
- 2026: 13 · 2025: 19 · 2024: 19 · 2023: 30 · 2022: 29 · 2021: 30 · 2020: 39 · 2019: 30 · 2018: 31 · 2017: 24 · 2016: 33 · 2015: 33 · 2014: 44 · 2013: 33 · 2012: 37
- FWCI
- 2.78
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Brain Behavior and Immunity (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- HAL (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute on Aging (AG 16710, R01AG016710)
- National Institute of Mental Health (R01MH051569, MH51569)
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (R01AI050442, AI50442)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Biological Psychiatry › Tryptophan and brain disorders
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Neurology › Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration Mechanisms
- Keywords
- sickness behavior, inflammatory cytokines, infection, fatigue, sleep disorders, anorexia, cancer cachexia, psychoneuroimmunology, cytokine receptors, neurotransmitter receptors, quality of life, cancer patients
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Behavior, Animal, Humans, Psychoneuroimmunology, Sick Role, Neuroimmunomodulation, Cytokines
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