Figure 1. Impaired TNFα-dependent glutamate release from hippocampal astrocytes of scrapie-infected mice. Histograms indicate the glutamate release induced by TNFα (30ng/ml) in acute hippocampal slices from C57Bl/6J mice intracerebrally (30 μl, (A) or intraperitoneally (100 μl, (B) inoculated with 1% homogenate from saline-treated (CTRL) or RML-infected, terminally ill CD1 mouse brains. Brains were taken at 14, 90 and 135 d post intracerebral inoculation (d.p.i.) and at 14 and 180 d post intraperitoneal inoculation (Days to terminal disease: i.c.: 164 ± 3; i.p.: 209 ± 5). Acute hippocampal slices were prepared and the amount of glutamate released upon stimulation with TNFα was measured using a previously described enzymatic assay.⁹⁷ Data are expressed as mean ± s.e.m. (n = 3–6 animals for each experimental group). *p < 0.05 vs. CTRL, two-way ANOVA followed by Scheffe’s F-test.