Significance of virus-induced MIA as an environmental factor in autism and schizophrenia aetiology
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Journal Title
Frontiers in Neuroscience
ISSN
1662-453X
Publisher
Frontiers Media
Type
Article
This Version
AM
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Massrali, A., Adhya, D., Srivastava, D., Baron-Cohen, S., & Kotter, M. Significance of virus-induced MIA as an environmental factor in autism and schizophrenia aetiology. Frontiers in Neuroscience https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.82581
Abstract
Maternal immune activation (MIA) is mediated by activation of inflammatory pathways resulting in increased levels of cytokines
and chemokines that cross the placental and blood-brain barriers altering foetal neural development. Maternal viral infection is
one of the most well-known causes for immune activation in pregnant women. MIA and immune abnormalities are key players in
the aetiology of developmental conditions such as autism, schizophrenia, ADHD, and depression. Experimental evidence implicating
MIA in with different effects in the offspring is complex. For decades, scientists have relied on either MIA models or human
epidemiological data or a combination of both. MIA models are generated using infection/pathogenic agents to induce an
immunological reaction in rodents and monitor the effects. Human epidemiological studies investigate a link between maternal
infection and/or high levels of cytokines in pregnant mothers and the likelihood of developing conditions. In this review, we discuss
the importance of understanding the relationship between virus-mediated MIA and neurodevelopmental conditions, focusing on
autism and schizophrenia. We further discuss the different methods of studying MIA and their limitations and focus on the different
factors contributing to MIA heterogeneity.
Sponsorship
SBC received funding from the Wellcome Trust 214322\Z\18\Z. For the purpose of Open Access, the author has applied a CC BY public
copyright licence to any Author Accepted Manuscript version arising from this submission.
The results leading to this publication have received funding from the Innovative Medicines Initiative 2 Joint Undertaking under
grant agreement No 777394 for the project AIMS-2-TRIALS. This Joint Undertaking receives support from the European Union's
Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme and EFPIA and AUTISM SPEAKS, Autistica, SFARI.
SBC also received funding from the Autism Centre of Excellence, SFARI, the Templeton World Charitable Fund, the MRC, and the NIHR
Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre. The research was supported by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Applied
Research Collaboration East of England.
Any views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the funder.
Funder references
Wellcome Trust (214322/Z/18/Z)
Embargo Lift Date
2025-03-17
Identifiers
This record's DOI: https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.82581
This record's URL: https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/335149
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