While previous research has established a link between maternal infections during pregnancy and an increase risk for psychiatric disorders in children, little information exists on the mechanisms of this relationship. A new study published in the journal Biological Psychiatry sheds light on the subject.
For the study, researchers introduced a viral-like infection to pregnant mice in early gestation and late gestation — two time periods critical for fetal brain development. Activation of the immune system at both points induced alterations in genes that play a role in neurodevelopment. Late stage prenatal infection altered methylation genes associated to the development of gamma-aminobutyric acid cells. Earlier exposure disrupted genes that play a vital role in early developmental actions that take place during embryogenesis.
Ultimately, the findings suggest infection early in pregnancy may lead to detrimental effects on fetal neurodevelopment. Also, alterations to fetal brains caused by immune activation during pregnancy may cause genome-wide genetic modifications.
"The adult emergence of multiple epigenetic modifications also raises the clinically relevant question as to whether some of these anomalies could be attenuated or even prevented by early interventions targeting the epigenetic machinery," said study co-author Urs Meyer, PhD, a professor of pharmacology at of the University of Zurich-Vetsuisse in Switzerland.
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