STUDY SUGGESTS VIRAL INFECTIONS DURING PREGNANCY MAY CONTRIBUTE TO AUTISM

For decades, scientists have sought to understand the origins of autism. Well, they may be closer than ever to cracking the code. According to a new research study, researchers are suggesting that viral infections during pregnancy may contribute to autism. Pregnant mother. PEXELS.COM Recent research from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) in New York indicates that viral infections, specifically colds or flu during pregnancy, may play a significant role in the disorder’s development. The study, by experimenting with mice, found that maternal immune activation (MIA), due to a viral infection, can impede the growth of a fetus’s brain. When a mother’s immune system responds vigorously to a virus, it increases the production of cytokines and chemokines. These immune proteins can cross the placenta and affect the developing baby’s brain. While female embryos appeared to be somewhat protected, approximately one-third of male embryos showed signs of impaired brain development, aligning with the higher prevalence of autism in boys. Pregnant mother. PIXABAY.COM Irene Sanchez Martin, a postdoctoral researcher at CSHL, focused on the effects of maternal inflammation on fetal brain development. Her experiments demonstrated that exposure to a mother’s viral infection slowed embryonic brain development within 24 hours. This early analysis contrasts...