Researchers uncover mechanism linking maternal inflammation to delayed neurodevelopment in infants

Human milk oligosaccharides modify the strength of priority effects in the Bifidobacterium community assembly during infancy

Despite the significant role of the gut microbiota in infant health and development, little is known about the ecological processes determining gut microbial community assembly. According to ecology theory, the timing and order of arrival of microbial species into an ecosystem affect microbial community assembly, a phenomenon termed priority effects. Bifidobacterium species are recognized as highly abundant early colonizers of the infant’s gut, …

An immune cell may explain how maternal inflammation causes neurodevelopmental disorder

A research group led by Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine in Japan has uncovered a potential mechanism linking maternal inflammation to delayed neurodevelopment in infants. The research suggests the role of CD11c-positive microglia—immune cells in the brain crucial for myelination—during infant brain development. Their findings suggest new strategies to mitigate the long-term neurodevelopmental effects of maternal inflammation. 

Researchers uncover mechanism linking maternal inflammation to delayed neurodevelopment in infants

A research group led by Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine in Japan has uncovered a potential mechanism linking maternal inflammation to delayed neurodevelopment in infants.

Researchers from Lower Austria created human mini-brains (organoids) in the laboratory, which, like real brain organs, also contain immune cells. They used them to investigate how the immune response to rubella viruses disrupts brain development in embryos and observed that an anti-inflammatory drug protects against such damage. The brain organoids can be used to test the safety of drugs during pregnancy, they explain in the "Journal of Neuroinf…

Maternal diet in late pregnancy linked to infant mental health

A new study reveals that consuming high-glycemic foods during the third trimester of pregnancy may impact infant temperament and emotional health.

Maternal Inflammation May Disrupt Infant Brain Wiring

A new study reveals that inflammation during pregnancy may impair neurodevelopment in infants by reducing CD11c-positive microglia—key immune cells that support brain myelination. These cells produce IGF-1, a protein critical for forming the myelin sheath that helps nerve signals travel efficiently.