Posted on 4/4/2017
If a mother picks up an infection during pregnancy, her immune system will kick into action to clear the infection-- but this self-defense mechanism may also have a small influence how her child's brain develops in the womb, in ways that are similar to how the brain develops in autism spectrum disorders. Now, an international team of researchers has shown why this may be the case.
In a study published today in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, researchers at the University of Cyprus, University of Cambridge, University of California, San Diego, and Stanford University used rats and mice to help map the complex biological cascade caused by the mother's immune response, which may lead to important consequences.
Maternal infections during pregnanc...