Reduced cortical somatostatin gene expression in a rat model of maternal immune activation.

Alterations in GABAergic interneurons and glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) are observed in the brains of people with schizophrenia. Studies also show increased density of interstitial white matter neurons (IWMN), including those containing GAD and somatostatin (SST) in the brain in schizophrenia. Maternal immune activation can be modelled in rodents to investigate the relationship between prenatal exposure to infections and increased risk of developing schizophrenia.

Late gestation immune activation increases IBA1-positive immunoreactivity levels in the corpus callosum of adult rat offspring.

Animal models of maternal immune activation study the effects of infection, an environmental risk factor for schizophrenia, on brain development. Microglia activation and cytokine upregulation may have key roles in schizophrenia neuropathology. We hypothesised that maternal immune activation induces changes in microglia and cytokines in the brains of the adult offspring.

Neonatal immune challenge alters reproductive development in the female rat.

Neonatal lipopolysaccharide (LPS) exposure alters neuroendocrine, immune and behavioural responses in adult rats. Recent findings indicate that neonatal LPS treatment may have a more pronounced effect on the mating behaviours of females compared to males. The current study further explored the impact of neonatal inflammation on reproductive development in the female rat.