Sep 2026· Current Opinion in Psychiatry· 0 citations· 45 references
Medicine
Abstract
Purpose
OF REVIEW
This review examines how prenatal inflammation may contribute to psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders, with a focus on maternal immune activation, microglial programming, and epigenetic mechanisms.
RECENT
Findings
Recent studies have found that inflammation during pregnancy is associated with changes in brain development and neurodevelopmental outcomes in children. Animal research indicates that maternal immune activation can cause long-lasting changes in gene expression, neural circuitry, and microglial activity. Two-hit models suggest that prenatal inflammation may prime microglia, making the brain more vulnerable to later stress, infections, or adversity. Interventions that target microglia, reduce inflammation, or provide enriched environments may reduce downstream behavioral and neurodevelopmental effects.
SUMMARY
Inflammation in early life may increase the risk of psychiatric disorders by altering placental signals, fetal brain development, and neuroimmune regulation. Preventing inflammation during pregnancy and reducing stress and adversity after birth may help protect against later mental health problems.
Recent evidence suggests that prenatal environmental factors, particularly maternal infection or maternal immune activation (MIA), may influence the progression of brain aging and lifetime risk for neurodegenerative disorders. The hypothesis is that even a short-lived inflammatory event during pregnancy may leave a las...
Kabir Shehu, O. Onimisi, H. Bunza et al.· Experimental Neurology· 0 citations
Evidence suggesting how prenatal exposures to alcohol, cocaine, Zika virus, rubella virus, Toxoplasma gondii, influenza, and traumatic brain injury can impact fetal brain development is examined.
Brendan Lujan, Katherine R. Giordano, R. Gonzalez-Ricon et al.· Pregnancy· 0 citations
Prenatal depression is a prevalent complication during pregnancy that not only adversely affects maternal mental health and elevates the risk of postpartum depression but also has enduring implications for offspring development. Alterations in the host metabolome and gut microbiome have been linked to the onset and pro...
Qiu-Shuang Jia, Cheng-Qian Diao, Shuai Liu et al.· Frontiers in Nutrition· 0 citations
Emerging therapeutic strategies targeting microglia were discussed, including anti-inflammatory approaches, functional reprogramming, neuromodulation techniques, and microglial replacement or niche engineering, indicating a paradigm shift from indiscriminate microglia inhibition to the precise modulation of specific fu...
J. R. de Jesus, I. S. Ribeiro, Marcos V. S. Pereira et al.· Advances in Immunology· 0 citations
BACKGROUND
Neuroepigenetics studies the molecular mechanisms that regulate gene expression in the nervous system without altering the DNA sequence. The environmental exposome has emerged as a key factor influencing neuronal plasticity and brain homeostasis, contributing to vulnerability to neurodegeneration.
REVIEW S...
Elizabeth Avendaño-Arango, Isabella Salom-Palacio, E. Castillo-Támara et al.· The Neurologist· 0 citations
