Grant: Project Grant

The term arthritis stems from the Greek arth, for joint, and itis for inflammation. It is thus natural that the great majority of the investigations focus their attention on joint inflammation in arthritis research. However, arthritis diseases are systemic diseases, meaning that they also affect other body parts (other than the joints). Mental health is impaired in rheumatic disease patients, in part because of the pain and psychological distress, but also because small inflammatory molecules in the blood can trigger long-term changes in brain structure and functions and even destroy brain tissue. Lupus is a type of arthritis disease in which many organs or tissues can be affected. Studies have shown that the majority of lupus patients display mood disorders, memory loss, migraines, and even psychosis. How rheumatic diseases affect the brain is poorly studied. In our research program, we make the original hypothesis that novel information on lupus can be obtained by studying the brain. To test this hypothesis, we will use a recently developed mouse model of lupus and will utilize our state-of-the-art microscopes capable of visualizing cells in the brain during the disease course. Our animal work will be performed by a team of immunologists and neuroscientists, and several measures, such as how cells normally found in blood reach the brain, and how neurons react to their presence, will be taken. In summary, to completely understand how systemic inflammation works, we believe that we need to understand how inflammation affects the brain.