Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Leukocytes As Mediators Of Gut-Brain Communication, Dilini Ekanayake

Biomedical Sciences Posters and Presentations

Food allergies

▪ Reactions range from mild/delayed to severe/rapid. ▪ People with mild allergic reactions have increased re-exposure risks. ▪ Cow’s milk allergy tends to manifest with milder allergic reactions.

Cow’s milk allergy (CMA)

▪ CMA has been associated with behavioral and neurological disorders. ▪ How allergic inflammatory signals from the gut reach the brain is unclear

Histamine H3 Receptor Antagonism Mitigates Food-Hypersensitivity-Associated Depressive Behavior And Neuropathology In A Mouse Model Of Cow’S Milk Allergy, Danielle Germundson-Hermanson

Biomedical Sciences Posters and Presentations

Background Histamine is best known for causing allergy symptoms, but it also regulates blood-brain barrier permeability1 and oligodendrocyte differentiation2. Thus, brain histamine levels are tightly controlled.

Previous Findings We demonstrated that histamine and histamine H3 receptor (H3R) levels were elevated in a mouse model of cow’s milk allergy (CMA) in association with intracranial mast cell activation, depression-like behaviors, and cortical demyelination3,4.

Gaps in Knowledge In humans, food allergies are often associated with neuropsychiatric disorders5-7, but the involvement of allergy induced histamine in triggering behavioral changes is unclear.

Hypothesis Repeated allergen consumption can lead to central histaminergic dysfunction through H3R, ultimately …

Milk Allergen Increases Intestinal Immune Cells In Association With Neuroinflammation And Behavioral Changes, Dilini Ekanayake

Biomedical Sciences Posters and Presentations

Cow’s milk allergy (CMA)

 CMA h as been associated with neurological disorders.

 How allergic inflammatory signals from the gut reach the brain is unclear.

Cortical Demyelination And Depression-Like Behavior Are Associated With Histaminergic Dysregulation In A Mouse Model Of Peripheral Inflammation, Danielle Germundson-Hermanson

Biomedical Sciences Posters and Presentations

▪ Demyelinating diseases of the central nervous system are increasing in prevalence world-wide1,2 and manifest as motor, behavioral, and/or cognitive defects3 . The etiology and pathophysiology of demyelinating diseases remain unclear.

▪ We have previously observed cortical demyelination in our mouse model of non-anaphylactic cow’s milk allergy4 . The demyelination was associated with depression-like behaviors and region-specific increases in brain histamine and H3 receptor (H3R) levels4,5 .

❖ The brain’s central histaminergic system is tightly controlled and regulates many behaviors. Additionally, signaling through H3R plays a crucial role in oligodendrocyte differentiation, and thus, demyelination and remyelination6 .

▪ We hypothesized …