Importantly, cortical serotonin levels correlated with exploratory behavior, linking serotonergic depletion to anxiety-like phenotypes.<h4>Discussion</h4>Together, these results support an associative framework in which systemic IFNγ levels are linked to cortical metabolic reprogramming and neuronal vulnerability, bridging peripheral immune activation with serotonergic depletion, melatonin loss, axonal injury, and behavioral dysfunction. Here, IFNG is linked to Anxiety.