Does maternal immune activation lead to neuropsychiatric disorders through altered brain development?
-
1
Hasselt University, BIOMED, Belgium
-
2
VIB Center for the Biology of Disease Leuven and Center for Human Genetics, KU Leuven, Belgium
-
3
INSERM, UMR S 1130, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, France
-
4
CNRS, UMR 8246, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, France
-
5
UM 119 NPS, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, France
Several studies have indicated that inflammation during pregnancy increases the risk for the development of neuropsychiatric disorders like autism and schizophrenia in the offspring. Morphological brain abnormalities and deviations in immunity can be observed in patients of both disorders. It has been suggested that the acute infection induces changes in maternal cytokine levels which in turn affects the fetal brain and results in the development of both neuropsychiatric disorders in the offspring.
In this study, the poly (I:C) model was used to mimic viral immune activation in pregnant mice in order to study the effect of the maternal infection on the developing brain. We injected pregnant mice with poly (I:C) (i.p., 20 mg/kg) on E11.5 and/or E15.5. The concentration of IL-6 in the maternal serum was used as a measure for systemic inflammation in the mother. To investigate the effect of the maternal inflammation on embryonic microglia, the microglial cell density and activation level (Mac-2, iNOS and IL1β immunostainings) in the cortex and hippocampus of CX3CR1-eGFP +/- embryos was determined. For evaluation of the effect on developing pyramidal neurons, neuronal progenitors were fluorescently labeled using in utero electroporation and positioning in the cortical plate was analyzed.
Samenvatting in het Nederlands
Verschillende studies hebben aangetoond dat infectie tijdens de zwangerschap het risico op het ontwikkelen van neuropsychiatrische stoornissen, waaronder autisme en schizofrenie, kan verhogen bij het kind. Er wordt geloofd dat een infectie veranderingen teweeg brengt in immuun factoren van de moeder die op hun beurt veranderingen teweeg brengen in het ontwikkelende brein van de foetus. In deze studie bootsen we een virale infectie na in zwangere muizen om te onderzoeken wat het effect hiervan is op de ontwikkeling van de verschillende cellen in de hersenen.
Résumé en français:
Plusieurs études ont montré qu’une infection contractée pendant la grossesse augmentait le risque pour l’enfant de développer des troubles neuropsychiatriques –autisme et schizophrénie notamment. L’hypothèse est qu’une infection entraîne des modifications des facteurs d’immunité de la mère qui, à leur tour, entraînent des altérations dans le cerveau en développement du fœtus. Dans cette étude nous avons mimé une infection virale chez des souris gravides afin d’en étudier l’effet sur les différentes cellules du cerveau.
Keywords:
maternal immune activation,
neuropsychiatric disorders,
Brain Development,
Cortex,
Microglia
Conference:
6th Belgian Brain Congress, MONS, Belgium, 8 Oct - 8 Oct, 2016.
Presentation Type:
Poster Presentation
Topic:
Brain and brain diseases: between heredity and environment
Citation:
Smolders
S,
Smolders
SM,
Swinnen
N,
Gaertner
A,
Rigo
J,
Legendre
P and
Brône
B
(2016). Does maternal immune activation lead to neuropsychiatric disorders through altered brain development?.
Conference Abstract:
6th Belgian Brain Congress.
doi: 10.3389/conf.fnagi.2016.03.00036
Copyright:
The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers.
They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters.
The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated.
Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed.
For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions.
Received:
29 Jun 2016;
Published Online:
04 Jul 2016.
*
Correspondence:
Ms. Silke Smolders, Hasselt University, BIOMED, Diepenbeek, Belgium, silke.smolders@uhasselt.be