ISTOCK, CHRISCHRISWGut bacteria appear to be mediators of the untoward effects infection can have on offspring during pregnancy, according to a study in mice published today (September 13) in Nature. Researchers found that pups developed autism-like behaviors if their mothers were exposed to an infection while pregnant, but only if certain bacterial strains were present.
These strains prompted the activity of T helper cells in the intestine, causing the immune cells to manufacture interleukin-17a—a previously identified culprit of behavioral dysfunction in mouse pups exposed to maternal inflammation.
“This data strongly suggests that perhaps certain mothers who happen to carry these types of Th17 cell-inducing bacteria in their gut may be susceptible to this inflammation-induced condition,” coauthor Jun Huh of the University of Massachusetts Medical School says in a press release.
In a second study also published in Nature today, Huh and his colleagues pinpointed the brain region responsible for the abnormal behaviors—the dysgranular zone of the primary somatosensory cortex. By simply activating certain neurons within this area of wild-type mice, the researchers could recapitulate the repetitive burying behavior and reduced ...
