VEGF Treatment Ameliorates Depression-Like Behavior in Adult Offspring After Maternal Immune Activation.

ABSTRACT: Maternal immune activation (MIA) during pregnancy impacts offspring neurodevelopmental trajectories and induces lifelong consequences, including emotional and cognitive alterations. Using the polyinosinic:polycytidilic acid (PIC) MIA model we have previously demonstrated enhanced depression-like behavior in adult MIA offspring, which was associated with reduced expression of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptor 2 (VEGFR2) in the hippocampus. Since VEGF mediates the effects of various antidepressant agents, we here set out to explore whether VEGF administration could rescue the depression-like behavioral deficits in MIA offspring. To test our hypothesis, control and MIA offspring were intracerebroventricularly (i.c.v.) infused with either VEGF or vehicle solution and depre

SUBMITTER: Sideromenos S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7226255 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature