Physiology and Behavior Laboratory, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich, 8603 Schwerzenbach, Switzerland.
Science. 2013 Mar 1;339(6123):1095-9. doi: 10.1126/science.1228261.
Prenatal infection and exposure to traumatizing experiences during peripuberty have each been associated with increased risk for neuropsychiatric disorders. Evidence is lacking for the cumulative impact of such prenatal and postnatal environmental challenges on brain functions and vulnerability to psychiatric disease. Here, we show in a translational mouse model that combined exposure to prenatal immune challenge and peripubertal stress induces synergistic pathological effects on adult behavioral functions and neurochemistry. We further demonstrate that the prenatal insult markedly increases the vulnerability of the pubescent offspring to brain immune changes in response to stress. Our findings reveal interactions between two adverse environmental factors that have individually been associated with neuropsychiatric disease and support theories that mental illnesses with delayed onsets involve multiple environmental hits.
产前感染和青春期前创伤性经历暴露都与神经精神疾病的风险增加有关。目前缺乏此类产前和产后环境挑战对大脑功能和精神疾病易感性的累积影响的证据。在这里，我们在一个转化性的小鼠模型中表明，产前免疫挑战和青春期应激的联合暴露对成年行为功能和神经化学产生协同的病理效应。我们进一步证明，产前损伤显著增加了青春期后代对压力引起的大脑免疫变化的易感性。我们的研究结果揭示了两种不良环境因素之间的相互作用，这两种因素单独与神经精神疾病有关，并支持这样的理论，即发病较晚的精神疾病涉及多个环境打击。
