COVID-19 as a unique opportunity to unravel the link between prenatal maternal infection, brain development and neuropsychiatric disorders in offspring

Abstract

Study of the effects of prenatal maternal infection on early offspring brain development has long attracted the interest and endeavors of clinicians and neuroscientists.1 Early reports on large-scale ecological data and further birth cohort studies analyzing biomarkers in pregnancy and early life of offspring have yielded evidence that in-utero exposure to infection increases neuropsychiatric disorder risk, particularly schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorders.2, 3, 4 The main hypothesis derived from these studies is that activation of immune-inflammatory pathways during maternal infection may result in abnormal fetal brain development.5 However, such a hypothesis requires detailed testing to reveal the pathogenic and pathophysiological mechanisms behind these neurodevelopmental alterations.