Neuroinflammation from Typhoid Vaccine and Its Effects on Brain Activity
Author Information
Author(s): Julia R Plank, Joseph CC Chen, Frederick Sundram, Nick Hoeh, Suresh Muthukumaraswamy, Joanne Lin
Primary Institution: University of Auckland
Hypothesis
Does neuroinflammation induced by the typhoid vaccine affect resting and task-based EEG?
Conclusion
The study found that neuroinflammation did not significantly affect attention networks, although there was a decrease in delta power during resting-state EEG.
Supporting Evidence
- Behavioral results showed no decrement in performance following the vaccine.
- During eyes-open resting, there was a relative decrease in right-frontal delta power in the vaccine condition compared to placebo.
- There was a trend toward greater alpha power suppression in the alerting response of the attentional network.
Takeaway
The typhoid vaccine caused some brain changes, but it didn't really mess with how well people could pay attention.
Methodology
This was a randomized, crossover, placebo-controlled, double-blind study where EEG was recorded from participants before and after receiving either a placebo or the typhoid vaccine.
Potential Biases
The study was double-blind, reducing bias risks, but the small sample size may limit generalizability.
Limitations
The level of inflammation induced by the vaccine was low, which may have limited the ability to detect significant effects.
Participant Demographics
20 healthy volunteers, 10 males, mean age 34 ± 7.26.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.05
Confidence Interval
95% CI: 12.84, 25.94
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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