Robert Dantzer

Director, Integrative Immunology and Behavior Program

Professor of Psychoneuroimmunology, Department of Pathology, College of Medicine; Department of Animal Sciences, College of ACES; Division of Nutritional Sciences and Neuroscience Program
Editor-in-Chief, Psychoneuroendocrinology
D.V.M., 1967, Toulouse, France
Ph.D., 1977, Toulouse, France

Research Areas

Interactions between the immune system and the brain

My research group focuses on the behavioral and psychopathological consequences of the effects of inflammatory mediators on the brain. During the course of an inflammation the proinflammatory cytokines that are produced by peripheral innate immune cells have an impact on brain functions via neural and humoral communication pathways. The brain forms an image of the peripheral immune response using the same cells and molecules as those mobilized at the periphery to fight infection. Brain cytokines induce sickness behavior, a well coordinated response of the host to help fighting infection, and this response is normally reversible. When the brain cytokine system is no longer regulated such as during chronic inflammation or in the presence of vulnerability factors, this response eventually culminates in psychiatric disorders such as depression. At the experimental level we explore the mechanisms that are responsible for the transition from sickness to depression. At the clinical level, we intend to explore the possibility that the subjective health complaints of patients suffering from chronic diseases (e.g., fatigue, depressed mood) are associated with inflammation and can be attenuated by interventions that attenuate inflammation (e.g., physical exercise).

Representative Publications

Palin K, Bluthé RM, McCusker RH, Levade T, Moos F, Dantzer R, Kelley KW. (2008) The type 1 TNF receptor and its associated adapter protein, FAN, are required for TNFalpha-induced sickness behavior. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2008 Sep 30. [Epub ahead of print]

André C, O'Connor JC, Kelley KW, Lestage J, Dantzer R, Castanon N. (2008) Spatio-temporal differences in the profile of murine brain expression of proinflammatory cytokines and indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase in response to peripheral lipopolysaccharide administration. J Neuroimmunol, 200(1-2): 90-9. Epub 2008 Jul 23.

Dantzer R, Kelley, KW. (2008) Autistic children: a neuroimmune perspective. Brain Behav Immun. 22(6):804-5. Epub 2008 Apr 16. No abstract available.

Dantzer R, O’Connor JC, Freund GG, Johnson RW, and Kelley KW. (2008) From inflammation to sickness and depression: When the immune system subjugates the brain. Nature Reviews Neurosci, 9(1), 46-56.  

Dantzer R, Capuron L, Irwin MR, Miller AH, Ollat H, Hugh Perry V, Rousey S, and Yirmiya R. (2008) Identification and treatment of symptoms associated with inflammation in medically ill patients. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 33, 18-29. Epub 2007 Dec 3.

O'Connor JC, Lawson MA, André C, Moreau M, Lestage J, Castanon N, Kelley KW, Dantzer R. (2008) Lipopolysaccharide-induced depressive-like behavior is mediated by indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase activation in mice. Mol Psychiatry. 2008 Jan 15. [Epub ahead of print]

Godbout JP, Moreau M, Lestage J, Chen J, Sparkman NL, O’Connor J, Castanon N, Kelley KW, Dantzer R, and Johnson RW. (2007) Aging exacerbates depressive-like behavior in mice in response to activation of the peripheral innate immune system, Neuropsychopharmacology,  33(10):2341-51. Epub 2007 Dec 12.

O'Connor JC, Lawson MA, Andre C, Moreau M, Lestage J, Castanon N, Kelley KW, and Dantzer R. (2008) Lipopolysaccharide-induced depressive-like behavior is mediated by indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase activation in mice. Mol Psychiat, Jan 15; [Epub ahead of print].

Mingam R, Smedt VD, Amédée T, Bluthé RM, Kelley KW, Dantzer R, and Layé S. (2007)  In vitro and in vivo evidence for a role of the P2X(7) receptor in the release of IL-1beta in the murine brain, Brain Behav Immun, 22, 234-244.

Abraham J, Jang S, Godbout JP, Chen J, Kelley KW, Dantzer R, and Johnson RW. (2007) Aging sensitizes mice to behavioral deficits induced by central HIV-1 gp120, Neurobiol Aging, Epub ahead of print.

Strle K, McCusker RH, Tran L, King A, Johnson RW, Freund GG, Dantzer R, and Kelley KW. (2007) Novel activity of an anti-inflammatory cytokine: IL-10 prevents TNFalpha-induced resistance to IGF-I in myoblasts. J Neuroimmunol. 188(1-2):48-55. Epub 2007 Jun 18.

Benchenane K, Castel H., Boulouard M, Bluthe RM, Fernandez-Monreal M, Rouseel BD, Lopez-Atalaya JP, Butt-Gueulle S, Agin V, Maubert E, Dantzer R, Touzani O, Dauphin F, Vivien D, and Ali C. (2007) Anti-NR1 N-terminl domain vaccination umasks the crucial action of tPA on NMDA-receptor mediated toxicity and spatial memory, J Cell Sci, 120, 578-585.

Palin K, Bluthe RM, McCusker RH, Moos F, Dantzer R, and Kelley KW. (2007) TNFalpha-induced sickness behavior in mice with functional 55 kD TNF receptors is blocked by central IGF-I. J Neuroimmunol. 187(1-2): 55-60. Epub 2007 May 18.

Dantzer R, and Kelley KW. (2007) Twenty years of research on cytokine-induced sickness behavior, Brain Behav Immun, 21, 153-160.

Frenois F, Moreau M, O’Connor J, Lawson M, Micon C, Lestage J, Kelley KW, Dantzer R, and Castanon N. (2007) Lipopoysaccharide induces delayed FosB/DeltaFosB immunostaining within the mouse extended amygdala, hippocampus and hypothalamus that parallels the expression of depressive-like behavior, Psychoneuroendocrinology, 32, 516-31.

Dantzer R. (2007) Expression and action of cytokines in the brain: Mechanisms and pathophysiological implications, in Ader R, ed, Psychoneuroimmunology 4th edition, Elsevier, Amsterdam, 271-280.

Dantzer R, Bluthe RM., Castanon N, Kelley KW, Konsman, JP, Laye S, Lestage J, and Parnet P. (2007) Cytokines, sickness behavior and depression, in Ader R, ed, Psychoneuroimmunology 4th edition, Elsevier, Amsterdam, 281-318.

Konsman JP, Parnet P, and Dantzer R. (2002) Cytokine-induced sickness behaviour: mechanisms and implications, Trends Neurosci 25:154-9.

Additional Information

Collaborative projects

Professor G.G. Freund – Brain-immune interactions in Type 2 diabetes

Professor K.W. Kelley – Neuroimmune control of biobehavioral processes

Professor R.W. Johnson – Cytokine and hormone interactions in comorbidity of AIDS

Lab

Robert Dantzer shares office and laboratory space with Professor Keith W. Kelley in 227, 250 and 261 ERML, respectively.