Neural transcriptomic responses to endotoxin challenge across social treatments

The aim of this experiment was to test whether the social setting changed neural transcriptomic responses to an endotoxin challenge in zebra finches Male zebra finches were given an LPS (L) or control (C) injection and then placed in 4 possible social settings: isolated (ISO), continuously with a known female (KFC), reunited with a known female (KF), and paired with a novel female (NF). Brains from these males were dissected for hypothalamus, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and nucleus taenea. RNA from each brain region was extracted and transcript levels were obtained using an RNA-seq pipeline.