Strong Maternal Immune Response May Affect Fetal Brain Development, Study Finds

Researchers at the US Solck Institute induced a strong immune response resembling viral infection in pregnant mice and examined the brain development and gene activity of the offspring. The findings were published in the international journal Molecular Psychiatry. The team highlighted that the maternal immune activation during pregnancy may change the way fetal genes function—not the DNA sequence itself—potentially influencing neurodevelopment.