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MIA

This shows immune cells in the choroid plexus

·October 9, 2020·5 min read

The Choroid Plexus: A Conduit for Prenatal Inflammation?

Mouse study reveals the choroid plexus can act as a conduit for inflammation that can arise from maternal inflammation, impacting fetal brain development.

Autism Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·May 4, 2020·5 min read

New insight on maternal infections and neurodevelopmental disorders

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.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·April 29, 2020·5 min read

How could Covid-19 and the body’s immune response affect the brain?

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.

Featured Neuroscience

·February 25, 2020·4 min read

Chronic inflammation in pregnancy linked to childhood neurodevelopmental delays

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.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·October 30, 2019·3 min read

How are psychiatric disorders linked to infections during pregnancy?

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.

Autism Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·June 4, 2019·4 min read

Exercise fine-tunes brain’s connections, eases autism spectrum disorder in mouse model

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.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·March 20, 2019·3 min read

Inflammation inhibitor blocks neurodevelopmental disorders in mouse model

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.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·March 14, 2019·4 min read

Expectant mothers can prevent fetal brain problems caused by the flu

Choline, an essential nutrient, can help prevent fetal brain development problems in infants whose mothers experience common infections, such as influenza, during pregnancy.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·January 7, 2019·3 min read

Maternal Stress and Abnormal Brain Development May Interact to Produce Mental Illnesses

Researchers report abnormal development of the prefrontal cortex and maternal stress may lead to brain activity and cognitive impairments linked to psychiatric diseases such as Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

Autism Featured Neuroscience

·July 18, 2018·5 min read

Autism Risk Determined by Health of Mother’s Gut

Researchers have successfully identified autism risk in young mice by examining their mother's microbiome during pregnancy. The study, which may offer the earliest detection of autism, could pave the way to developing preventative measures against forms of autism by altering the maternal diet and probiotic intake.

Featured Neuroscience

·April 9, 2018·5 min read

Study Confirms Inflammation During Pregnancy is Linked to Baby’s Brain Development

A new study confirms previous findings that link inflammation during pregnancy to altered brain development in children. Researchers have created a machine learning algorithm that can predict the long term neurodevelopmental impact of MIA.

Autism Featured Neuroscience

·March 28, 2018·5 min read

How Brain Circuits are Affected by Infections in Mothers and Newborns

A new study backs up existing evidence that maternal immune activation can impact brain development in children. Researchers report immune activation during pregnancy or soon after birth can cause alterations to brain networks associated with social behavior, resulting in autism-like symptoms in the offspring.