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When viruses help to better understand the functioning of the brain

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Infection of neurons by viruses can disrupt brain function and animal behavior without causing tissue damage. How do these viruses induce neural dysfunction ?

To answer this question, researchers from the CNRS, Inserm and the University of Toulouse used mice expressing a protein from the Bornavirus, which diverted the activity of an enzyme important for appropriate neuronal activity. They showed that these mice had chronic anxiety and memory deficits. This study was published on January 29th, 2018 in PNAS.

The Anexplo platform of Genotoul participated to this study.

Read more (in French).