S. Lacosta et al., Influence of acute and repeated interleukin-2 administration on spatial learning, locomotor activity, exploratory behaviors, and anxiety, BEHAV NEURO, 113(5), 1999, pp. 1030-1041
Interleukin-2 (IL-2), released from activated T cells, influences central n
eurochemical functioning, and IL-2 immunotherapy in cancer patients may pro
voke neuropsychiatric and cognitive disturbances. In this study, acute, sys
temic IL-2 did not influence Morris water-maze performance in mice. In cont
rast, chronic IL-2 impaired performance when the position of the escape pla
tform varied over days but was without effect when the platform position wa
s fixed. These effects could not be attributed to illness, because IL-I bet
a, which induces marked malaise, did not influence water-maze performance.
Chronic IL-2 produced modest reductions in exploration and approach to a no
vel stimulus, effects not seen after acute treatment, but did not influence
spontaneous alternation performance or behavior in an elevated plus-maze t
est. Thus, repeated IL-2 may influence spatial working memory without affec
ting habituation/attentional attentional processes or anxiety.