The brain expression of genes involved in inflammatory response, the ribosome, and learning and memory is altered by centrally injected lipopolysaccharide in mice.

Neuroinflammation plays a role in the progression of several neurodegenerative disorders. We used a lipopolysaccharide (LPS) model of neuroinflammation to characterize the gene expression changes underlying the inflammatory and behavioral effects of neuroinflammation. A single intracerebroventricular injection of LPS (5 microg) was administered into the lateral ventricle of mice and, 24 h later, we examined gene expression in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus using microarray technology. Gene Ontology (GO) terms for inflammation and the ribosome were significantly enriched by LPS, whereas GO terms associated with learning and memory had decreased expression. We detected 224 changed transcripts in the cerebral cortex and 170 in the hippocampus. Expression of Egr1 (also known as Zif268) and Arc, two genes associated with learning and memory, was significantly lower in the cortex, but not in the hippocampus, of LPS-treated animals. Overall, altered expression of these genes may underlie some of the inflammatory and behavioral effects of neuroinflammation.