Neurodevelopmental Resilience and Susceptibility to Maternal Immune Activation

Abstract

Maternal immune activation (MIA), be it triggered by infectious or noninfectious stimuli, is implicated in various psychiatric and neurological disorders with developmental etiologies. Its consequences on the offspring's mental health are heterogeneous and influenced by a number of factors shaping the specificity and/or severity of pathological outcomes. There is also a substantial degree of resilience to MIA, which determines the extent to which offspring are protected from developing neurodevelopmental sequelae. This review provides a synopsis of the plausible sources that account for the heterogeneous outcomes of MIA and discusses key factors that are critical for establishing neurodevelopmental resilience and susceptibility to this early-life adversity.

Keywords: animal models; infection; inflammation; maternal immune activation; neurodevelopment; poly(I:C).