Fig. 1: Depression-like behavior was examined with TNF-α treatment in the lateral ventricles of mice.

A Schematic of the experimental design for assessing the effect of TNF-α, infliximab, and rhodomyrtone (injections four times every 7 days). B Schematic of the injection site in the lateral ventricle. C Chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) mice spent less time in the center 25% area of the open field than the sham mice. TNF-α treatment aggravated the decrease of time in the center of the open field. D CUMS mice spent more immobility time in the last 4 min of the forced swimming test, when compared with sham mice. TNF-α treatment increased the immobility time in the CUMS group. E CUMS mice spent more immobility time in the tail suspension test than the sham mice. TNF-α treatment increased the immobility time in the CUMS group. F The number of platform crossings in each group. G Time spent in the target zone during the platform withdrawal period in the water maze. H Escape latency in all groups was improved with training. TNF-α treatment significantly aggravated escape latency in the CUMS group. I Typical tracks of open field exploration by one male mouse in each of the sham, CUMS, CUMS + PBS, and CUMS + TNF-α groups in exploration of the center areas. J Typical tracks of water maze exploration by one male mouse in each of the sham, CUMS, CUMS + PBS, and CUMS + TNF-α groups in exploration of each zone; n = 6 mice per group. Data are presented as the means ± SD. P values were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance. ^**P < 0.01,^***P < 0.001, ns no significance.