Fig. 2.

Time course of neuroinflammatory response following PIC challenge. Intraperitoneal injection of PIC elicits a robust but transient surge in blood cytokines (red), e.g., IFNβ, IL-6 and TNFα. This cytokine surge upregulates the transcription of inflammatory genes in the brain. Three major patterns of mRNA upregulation can be distinguished. Some genes, e.g., the Ifnb, Il6, Cxcl10 and Cxcl1 genes, feature a rapid upregulation that subsides by 24 h (green). Other genes, e.g., the Tnfa, Ccl7 and Ccl12 genes, are also rapidly upregulated but display a protracted course (orange). The genes encoding complement proteins, e.g., the Cfb, C3 and C2 genes, exhibit more gradual upregulation that lasts for three days (blue). Generalized from (23, 26, 27, 31, 33).