The Role of Immune Factors in Shaping Fetal Neurodevelopment.

ABSTRACT: Fetal neurodevelopment in utero is profoundly shaped by both systemic maternal immunity and local processes at the maternal-fetal interface. Immune pathways are a critical participant in the normal physiology of pregnancy and perturbations of maternal immunity due to infections during this period have been increasingly linked to a diverse array of poor neurological outcomes, including diseases that manifest much later in postnatal life. While experimental models of maternal immune activation (MIA) have provided groundbreaking characterizations of the maternal pathways underlying pathogenesis, less commonly examined are the immune factors that serve pathogen-independent developmental functions in the embryo and fetus. In this review, we explore what is known about the in vivo role of immune

SUBMITTER: Lu-Culligan A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9034439 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature