{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,11]],"date-time":"2026-06-11T05:08:52Z","timestamp":1781154532693,"version":"3.54.1"},"reference-count":38,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"11","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,11,8]],"date-time":"2024-11-08T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1731024000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Programa de Apoyo a Proyectos de Innovaci\u00f3n Tecnol\u00f3gica (PAPIIT), Direcci\u00f3n General de Asuntos del Personal Acad\u00e9mico (DGAPA), Universidad Nacional Aut\u00f3noma de M\u00e9xico (UNAM)","award":["IN-202723"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["IN-202723"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Brain Sciences"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Helminth infections are associated with cognitive deficits, especially in school-age children. Deworming treatment in heavily infected children improves their short- and long-term memory recall. In mice, intraperitoneal helminth infection with Taenia crassiceps (T. crassiceps) shows sexual dimorphism in terms of the parasite load, immune response, hormone levels, and behavioral changes. We have previously shown poorer short-term memory performance and changes in the concentrations of cytokines and neurotransmitters in the hippocampus, which were replicated in this study. The molecular changes in other brain structures, such as those related to reproduction, are unknown. Methods: Male and female Balb\/cAnN mice were chronically infected with T. crassiceps larvae. We determined the peritoneal parasite load and established the presence of cytokines and neurotransmitters in the hippocampus, olfactory bulb, and hypothalamus. Results: The parasite load was higher in female than male infected mice, as expected. In the hippocampus, the neurotransmitters norepinephrine and serotonin increased in males but decreased in females. In contrast, in the olfactory bulb and hypothalamus, the neurotransmitters assessed showed no statistical differences. The cytokine profiles were different in each brain structure. The TNF-\u03b1 levels in the olfactory bulb and the IL-4 levels in the hippocampus of infected mice were dimorphic; IFN-\u03b3 was augmented in both male and female infected animals, although the increase was higher in infected males. Conclusions: The brain responds to peripheral infection with cytokine levels that vary from structure to structure. This could be a partial explanation for the dimorphic behavioral alterations associated with infection, it also demonstrates the synergic interaction between the immune, the endocrine, and the nervous systems.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/brainsci14111127","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,11,8]],"date-time":"2024-11-08T04:02:54Z","timestamp":1731038574000},"page":"1127","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["The Sexual Dimorphism of the Neuroimmune Response in the Brains of Taenia crassiceps-Infected Mice"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2223-6703","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Karen Elizabeth","family":"Nava-Castro","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Grupo de Biolog\u00eda y Qu\u00edmica Atmosf\u00e9ricas, Departamento de Ciencias Ambientales, Instituto de Ciencias de la Atm\u00f3sfera y Cambio Clim\u00e1tico, Universidad Nacional Aut\u00f3noma de M\u00e9xico, Ciudad de M\u00e9xico 04510, Coyoac\u00e1n, Mexico"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0009-9877-3290","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Diana Lizeth","family":"Ruiz-Antonio","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Inmunolog\u00eda, Instituto de Investigaciones Biom\u00e9dicas, Universidad Nacional Aut\u00f3noma de M\u00e9xico, Ciudad de M\u00e9xico 04510, Coyoac\u00e1n, Mexico"},{"name":"Posgrado en Ciencias Bioqu\u00edmicas, Universidad Nacional Aut\u00f3noma de M\u00e9xico, Unidad de Posgrado, edif D, 1er piso, Circuito de Posgrados, Ciudad Universitaria, Ciudad de M\u00e9xico 04510, Coyoac\u00e1n, Mexico"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0002-4993-0447","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mar\u00eda del Sol","family":"R\u00edos-Avila","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Grupo de Biolog\u00eda y Qu\u00edmica Atmosf\u00e9ricas, Departamento de Ciencias Ambientales, Instituto de Ciencias de la Atm\u00f3sfera y Cambio Clim\u00e1tico, Universidad Nacional Aut\u00f3noma de M\u00e9xico, Ciudad de M\u00e9xico 04510, Coyoac\u00e1n, Mexico"},{"name":"Posgrado en Ciencias Biol\u00f3gicas, Universidad Nacional Aut\u00f3noma de M\u00e9xico, Unidad de Posgrado, edif D, 1er piso, Circuito de Posgrados, Ciudad Universitaria, Ciudad de M\u00e9xico 04510, Coyoac\u00e1n, Mexico"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2331-2045","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Claudia Ang\u00e9lica","family":"Garay-Canales","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Inmunolog\u00eda, Instituto de Investigaciones Biom\u00e9dicas, Universidad Nacional Aut\u00f3noma de M\u00e9xico, Ciudad de M\u00e9xico 04510, Coyoac\u00e1n, Mexico"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Lenin","family":"Pav\u00f3n","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratorio de Psicoinmunolog\u00eda de la Direcci\u00f3n de Investigaciones en Neurociencias, Instituto Nacional de Psiquiatr\u00eda \u201cRam\u00f3n de la Fuente Mu\u00f1iz\u201d, Ciudad de M\u00e9xico 14370, Tlalpan, Mexico"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Romel","family":"Hernandez-Bello","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Microbiolog\u00eda, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Aut\u00f3noma de Nuevo Le\u00f3n, Monterrey 64260, Nuevo Le\u00f3n, Mexico"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7868-6407","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"V\u00edctor Hugo","family":"Del R\u00edo-Araiza","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Parasitolog\u00eda, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Nacional Aut\u00f3noma de M\u00e9xico, Ciudad de M\u00e9xico 04510, Coyoac\u00e1n, Mexico"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Manuel Iv\u00e1n","family":"Gir\u00f3n-P\u00e9rez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratorio de Inmunotoxicolog\u00eda, Secretar\u00eda de Investigaci\u00f3n y Posgrado, Universidad Aut\u00f3noma de Nayarit, Tepic 63184, Nayarit, Mexico"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9461-610X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jorge","family":"Morales-Montor","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Inmunolog\u00eda, Instituto de Investigaciones Biom\u00e9dicas, Universidad Nacional Aut\u00f3noma de M\u00e9xico, Ciudad de M\u00e9xico 04510, Coyoac\u00e1n, 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