A new study has revealed that inflammation in the mother during a specific period of pregnancy may affect fetal development and may contribute to the emergence of traits associated with autism spectrum disorder.
Researchers at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) conducted the study on mice and found that these effects were observed in male fetuses but not females. They also discovered that changes in the placenta may help explain why some fetuses are affected by the inflammation while others continue to develop normally.
Researchers mimicked the body's response to a viral infection during different stages of pregnancy by injecting mice with a compound that activates the immune system without causing an actual infection.
The results showed that day 12 and a half of pregnancy is a particularly sensitive period, as fetuses become more susceptible to developmental disturbances after the mother's immune system is activated. Researcher Irene Sanchez Martin stated that approximately one-third of the fetuses exhibited developmental changes within just one day.
One of the most striking findings was that only male fetuses exhibited characteristics similar to autism spectrum disorder, while females continued to develop normally. The researchers believe this difference may provide new clues to understanding why boys are diagnosed with autism at higher rates than girls, while emphasizing that the current findings are based on a study in mice and do not prove the same mechanism exists in humans.
To explain this difference, researchers focused on the placenta, specifically a type of cell that helps the mother's immune system tolerate fetal growth.
These cells showed signs of damage in male fetuses with developmental disorders, while appearing healthy in fetuses that continued to develop normally. The findings suggest that inflammation may alter placental function, affecting the environment in which the fetus develops.
Lucas Cheadle, an assistant professor at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, said that understanding autism spectrum disorder requires looking beyond the brain, noting that maternal immune activation and changes in the placenta may be part of the mechanisms associated with the emergence of autistic traits in some cases.
The researchers intend to continue studying the differences between male and female fetuses, with the aim of understanding how immunity and the placenta affect fetal development, and this may help in the future to identify new targets for early intervention.
The results were published in the journal Science Advances.
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