Emergence test latency, time in cylinder and total exits.

<p>*Genotype effect</p><p># <i>T</i>. <i>gondii</i> infection effect after ANOVA and post-hoc comparison. p<0.05.</p><p>Emergence test latency, time in cylinder and total exits.</p

Effect of <i>T</i>. <i>gondii</i> infection on body weight is shown in female and male Nurr1 +/+ and +/- mice as percent change in body weight from weight prior to infection to body weight 6 weeks after infection or vehicle injection (Control).

<p>Infection with <i>T</i>. <i>gondii</i> significantly reduced weight gain (A.). There was no significant interaction in the change in body weight due to either the genotype or sex, however, the +/- mice gained less weight over this time (B., C.) and the infected male mice, on average, lost weight (C.) while the infected female mice showed no change in body weight (B.). #significant difference due to treatment based on ANOVA with Fischer’s post hoc comparison. n = 10 female +/+ controls; 9 female +/- controls; 5 female +/+ <i>T</i>. <i>gondii</i>; 10 female +/- <i>T</i>. <i>gondii</i>; 18 male +/+ control; 11 male +/- controls; 9 male +/+ <i>T</i>. <i>gondii</i>; 8 male +/- <i>T</i>. <i>gondii</i>.</p

Percent change in body weight and change in distance traveled in the open field are shown in relation to the level of <i>T</i>. <i>gondii</i> antibodies.

<p>For this analysis, male and female Nurr1 +/+ and +/- mice are combined. Control refers to all mice injected with vehicle. Zero refers to mice injected with <i>T</i>. <i>gondii</i> but with no detectable antibody titers to <i>T</i>. <i>gondii</i>. The Low group consists of mice with antibody titers between 50 and 400. The Medium group consists of mice with antibody titers between 800–1600. The High group consists of the mice with antibody titers >3200. For body weight, there were significant reductions in body weight at all three antibody levels, Low, Medium and High (A.). For change in distance traveled in the open field, there was an inverted U-relationship consisting of a significant increase in distance traveled for mice in the Low and Medium antibody levels, but no significant effect on distance in mice at High antibody levels (B.). Significant antibody (*) effect based on ANOVA with Fischer’s post hoc comparisons. n = 47 Control; 4 Zero; 11 Low; 8 Medium; 11 High.</p

Antibody titers to <i>T</i>. <i>gondii</i>.

<p>Antibody titers to <i>T</i>. <i>gondii</i>.</p

Open field activity is shown in female and male Nurr1 +/+ and +/- mice after <i>T</i>. <i>gondii</i> infection or vehicle injection (Control).

<p>Infection with <i>T</i>. <i>gondii</i> significantly elevated open field activity with all groups (sex and genotype) combined (A.). There was a significant interaction between infection with <i>T</i>. <i>gondii</i> and the Nurr1 +/- genotype on open field activity such that the +/- mice were significantly more active than infected +/+ mice and uninfected +/- control mice (B.). Both female and male +/- mice infected with <i>T</i>. <i>gondii</i> were more active in the open field than the control +/- mice (C., D.). Much of the increase in activity in the infected +/+ mice was the result of increased activity in the male mice. Significant genotype (*) and treatment (#) effects based on ANOVA with Fischer’s post hoc comparisons. n = 10 female +/+ controls; 8 female +/- controls; 5 female +/+ <i>T</i>. <i>gondii</i>; 10 female +/- <i>T</i>. <i>gondii</i>; 17 male +/+ control; 10 male +/- controls; 9 male +/+ <i>T</i>. <i>gondii</i>; 8 male +/- <i>T</i>. <i>gondii</i>.</p

Percent prepulse inhibition in Nurr1 +/+ and +/- mice after vehicle injection (Control) or <i>T</i>. <i>gondii</i> infection (A.).

<p>Additionally, percent prepulse inhibition is show in female (B.) and male (C.) +/+ and +/- mice that received a vehicle injection (Control) or infection with <i>T</i>. <i>gondii</i>. <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> infection had no significant effect on prepulse inhibition. There was a trend towards reduced percent prepulse inhibition in male +/- mice after chronic infection with <i>T</i>. <i>gondii</i> (C.). n = 10 female +/+ controls; 9 female +/- controls; 5 female +/+ <i>T</i>. <i>gondii</i>; 10 female +/- <i>T</i>. <i>gondii</i>; 17 male +/+ control; 12 male +/- controls; 9 male +/+ <i>T</i>. <i>gondii</i>; 7 male +/- <i>T</i>. <i>gondii</i>.</p

Time spent in the center of the open field is shown in female and male Nurr1 +/+ and +/- mice after <i>T</i>. <i>gondii</i> infection or vehicle injection (Control).

<p>Infection with <i>T</i>. <i>gondii</i> significantly elevated the time in the center of the open field with all groups (sex and genotype) combined (A.). Although, no significant interaction between <i>T</i>. <i>gondii</i> infection and genotype was found related to time in the center, much of the increase in time in center was the result of an increase time spent in the center for the +/+ mice. Significant treatment (#) effect based on ANOVA with Fischer’s post hoc comparisons. n = 10 female +/+ controls; 8 female +/- controls; 5 female +/+ <i>T</i>. <i>gondii</i>; 10 female +/- <i>T</i>. <i>gondii</i>; 17 male +/+ control; 10 male +/- controls; 9 male +/+ <i>T</i>. <i>gondii</i>; 8 male +/- <i>T</i>. <i>gondii</i>.</p

To demonstrate aversion to bobcat urine, percent time spent in the quadrant with bobcat urine (Bobcat Urine) was compare to the percent time spent in the same quadrant from the preceding open field test (Control) for each treatment group.

<p>In the first test (A.), female mice (both +/+ and +/-) showed significant aversion to bobcat urine as they spent significantly less time in the bobcat urine quadrant than in the corresponding quadrant from the open field test. No significant aversion was found using these parameters for the male mice. In the second test, after either a vehicle injection (Control) or <i>T</i>. <i>gondii</i> injection, the control female +/+ mice showed a significant aversion to bobcat urine that was abolished by injection with <i>T</i>. <i>gondii</i> (B). In contrast the control female +/- mice showed a trend toward aversion to bobcat urine but significant aversion to bobcat urine after <i>T</i>. <i>gondii</i> injection (B.). The control male +/+ mice showed significant aversion to bobcat urine that was also abolished by <i>T</i>. <i>gondii</i> injection (C.). In contrast, the male +/- mice showed no aversion to bobcat urine either in the control condition or after <i>T</i>. <i>gondii</i> injection. Comparisons based on paired t-test with p<0.05. Figure A: n = 18 female +/+; 21 female +/-; 29 male +/+; 18 male +/-. Figure B: n = 10 female +/+ controls; 6 female +/- controls; 5 female +/+ <i>T</i>. <i>gondii</i>; 10 female +/- <i>T</i>. <i>gondii</i>. Figure C: 17 male +/+ control; 10 male +/- controls; 10 male +/+ <i>T</i>. <i>gondii</i>; 8 male +/- <i>T</i>. <i>gondii</i>.</p

Behavior in an open field was tested in male and female Nurr1 +/+ and +/- mice.

<p>Total distance traveled (A., B.) and time in the center (C., D.) are shown based on genotype (A., C.) and genotype and sex (B., D.). The +/- mice were significantly more active than the +/+ mice as indicated by distance traveled, however, there was no significant interaction between genotype and sex (B.). Additionally, the +/- mice spent significantly more time in the center of the chamber than the +/+ mice (C.), which also showed no interaction between genotype and sex (D.). *significant difference based on ANOVA with Fischer’s post hoc comparison. n = 18 female +/+; 19 female +/-; 29 male +/+; 18 male +/-.</p