Behaviourists from ETH Zurich have demonstrated that the interplay between infection during pregnancy and stress in puberty may play a key in the development of schizophrenia in mouse models.
The prevalence of schizophrenia is around one percent, and this disorder is usually not diagnosed until adulthood. Scientists have long suspected a role of adverse environmental factors in schizophrenia development. Particularly, prenatal infections including influenza, as well as psychological distress have been seen as potential risk factors.
However, researchers at ETH Zurich have now made a breakthrough discovery, finding a clear link between these two environmental factors and the development of schizophrenia-relevant brain changes.
One negative influence is maternal viral infection during the first half of the pregnancy. If the same child is later exposed to major stress during puberty, their probability of developing schizophrenia markedly increases.
The infection during pregnancy is thought to lay a foundation to exacerbate the stress experienced during puberty. The mother’s infection activates central nervous system immune cells, called microglia, which can alter brain development. Once the infection clears, microglia lie dormant but develop “memory”, awakening upon experiencing chronic stress.
The ETH Zurich researchers emphasize that their results should be no reason for pregnant women to panic, as the probability of schizophrenia is only high in a specific time window, and other factors, such as genetics, play a role. As well, unlike genes, environmental influences may be changed. For example, response and coping mechanisms for stress can be altered.
Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130301122512.htm
