A combination of antidepression use and infections that lead to inflammation during pregnancy increase the risk of neurodevelopmental disorders including autism in children, a new study reports.
Researchers discovered the link between autism and maternal infection does not appear to be causal. Results suggest the increased autism risks are more likely to be explained by shared familial factors including genetics or aspects of a shared environment.
Using large data sets, researchers determined children on the autism spectrum can be broken into three subgroups based upon co-occurring conditions, and those subgroups are associated with different prenatal risk factors. Infections, anti-inflammatory and other complex medications were associated with one group, while joint disorders and immune system problems were associated with another. The third subgroup was associated with overall pregnancy complications. Researchers have developed a new blood test that can for autism and prenatal risk factors for ASD.
Changes in fetal microglia caused as a result of maternal inflammation could contribute to the development of schizophrenia, autism, and other psychiatric or developmental disorders.
Mouse study reveals the choroid plexus can act as a conduit for inflammation that can arise from maternal inflammation, impacting fetal brain development.
Maternal inflammation has been linked to a range of neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders in children, including autism and schizophrenia. A new mouse study reveals maternal responses and subsequent developmental disorders are based on the mother's immunoreactivity to infection.
Mounting evidence suggests coronavirus affects the brain, in addition to the lungs. Researchers are examining the threat COVID-19 posses to long term brain health. They speculate maternal inflammation could lead to an increased risk of autism-like behaviors and neurodevelopment deficits in children born to mothers diagnosed with coronavirus. Other studies are exploring how the virus may spread in the nervous system via synaptic transmission.
Study adds to a growing body of evidence that chronic low-grade inflammation during pregnancy is linked to an increased risk of childhood neurodevelopmental delays.
Previous studies have documented how infection during pregnancy can increase the risk of ASD and a range of psychiatric disorders in the offspring. A new study reveals how maternal infections can affect neural development and how the timing of infection plays a critical role in elevating the risks of mental health conditions.
Participating in exercise improved synaptic pruning in mouse models of autism. The study also found microglia dependant synaptic pruning is impaired by maternal inflammation, which has been previously connected to the development of ASD.
Increased levels of epoxide hydrolase in the prefrontal cortex were found in the brains of young mice whose mothers had suffered infection during pregnancy. Inhibiting epoxide hydrolase reverses cognitive and social deficits associated with neurodevelopmental disorders, such as ASD.
Choline, an essential nutrient, can help prevent fetal brain development problems in infants whose mothers experience common infections, such as influenza, during pregnancy.
