Overactive Immune System in Pregnant Women Puts Male Offspring at Risk

Researchers from Johns Hopkins University recently found that neurological diseases could be rooted in prenatal inflammatory immune responses due to serious infection or illness. In the mouse-model study, male mice showed signs of brain damage lasting into their adulthood when exposed to an overactive immune system in the womb. During the study, researchers mimicked the effects of a maternal infection, or other conditions that can cause inflammation, and found that the male mice were more prone to have poor motor skills, behavioral issues, and a smaller hippocampus later in life (with the presence of fewer nerve cells) compared to the female mice. However, further research is needed to find out why males and females respond differently to the same inflammation in utero, which could possibly explain why more males have diseases such as autism and schizophrenia. To read more about this study, click here.