Study Links Maternal Infections to Impaired Brain Development in Newborns

New Delhi: A team of European researchers have found that infections during pregnancy can have long-term impacts on the brain development of offspring. The study, published Tuesday in the peer-reviewed journal Brain Medicine, highlights a potential link between maternal infections and increased risk of neurodevelopmental and psychiatric conditions, such as autism, schizophrenia, and depression.

The researchers, led by scientists at the Slovak Academy of Sciences, focused on how maternal immune activation (MIA) affects the hippocampus—a key brain region involved in memory, cognition, and emotions. They used a well-established rat model to simulate maternal infections by administering lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a bacterial component known to trigger immune responses.

The study's findings indicate that maternal infections during pregnancy are a significant risk factor for disorders like autism and schizophrenia. It is believed the changes in hippocampal neuron function may play a central role in this connection.

The study revealed that prenatal immune activation led to significant disruptions in the excitability of hippocampal pyramidal neurons in newborn rat offspring. Specifically, neurons from MIA-exposed offspring showed a higher activation threshold, slower response times, and decreased firing rates—indicating impaired glutamatergic neurotransmission, which is vital for learning, memory, and emotional processing.

The study noted, "Neurons from offspring exposed to maternal inflammation required stronger stimuli to activate and transmitted signals less efficiently. This disruption may underlie the increased vulnerability to developmental disorders."

Interestingly, male newborn rats exhibited a more pronounced reduction in spontaneous neuronal activity compared to females, which the researchers suggest may offer insight into why certain psychiatric conditions are more prevalent in males.

The research underscores how maternal infections trigger the release of cytokines—immune system messengers—that can cross the placenta and alter fetal brain development.

The team hopes their findings will contribute to a better understanding of how early-life immune challenges impact brain function and potentially pave the way for preventive strategies to reduce the risk of neurodevelopmental disorders.