Gastrointestinal nematode infection during pregnancy and lactation enhances spatial reference memory and reduces indicators of anxiety-like behaviour in uninfected adult female mouse offspring.

ABSTRACT: Maternal bacterial and viral infections that induce neuroinflammation in the developing brain are associated with impaired cognitive function and increased anxiety in the offspring. In contrast, maternal infection with the immunoregulatory murine gastrointestinal (GI) nematode, Heligmosomoides bakeri, appears to benefit neurodevelopment as juvenile 2- and 3-week-old male and female offspring had enhanced spatial memory, which may be due to a Th2/Treg biased neuroimmune environment. Here, the impact of maternal H. bakeri infection during pregnancy and lactation on the spatial and anxiety-like behaviours of adult, 3-month-old uninfected male and female offspring was explored for the first time. It was observed that adult female offspring of H. bakeri-infected dams had en

SUBMITTER: Noel S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11474017 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature