Maternal Inflammation During Pregnancy and Offspring Brain Development: The Role of Mitochondria

Lauren E Gyllenhammer; Jerod M Rasmussen; Nina Bertele; Amy Halbing; Sonja Entringer; Pathik D Wadhwa; Claudia Buss

doi:10.1016/j.bpsc.2021.11.003

Maternal Inflammation During Pregnancy and Offspring Brain Development: The Role of Mitochondria

Biol Psychiatry Cogn Neurosci Neuroimaging. 2022 May;7(5):498-509. doi: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2021.11.003. Epub 2021 Nov 17.

Authors

Lauren E Gyllenhammer¹, Jerod M Rasmussen¹, Nina Bertele², Amy Halbing³, Sonja Entringer⁴, Pathik D Wadhwa⁵, Claudia Buss⁶

Affiliations

¹ Development, Health and Disease Research Program, University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine, Irvine, California; Department of Pediatrics, University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine, Irvine, California.
² Department of Medical Psychology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
³ Department of Medical Psychology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Einstein Center for Neurosciences Berlin, Department of Medical Psychology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
⁴ Development, Health and Disease Research Program, University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine, Irvine, California; Department of Pediatrics, University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine, Irvine, California; Department of Medical Psychology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
⁵ Development, Health and Disease Research Program, University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine, Irvine, California; Department of Pediatrics, University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine, Irvine, California; Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine, Irvine, California; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine, Irvine, California; Department of Epidemiology, University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine, Irvine, California.
⁶ Development, Health and Disease Research Program, University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine, Irvine, California; Department of Pediatrics, University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine, Irvine, California; Department of Medical Psychology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany. Electronic address: claudia.buss@charite.de.

Abstract

The association between maternal immune activation (MIA) during pregnancy and risk for offspring neuropsychiatric disorders has been increasingly recognized over the past several years. Among the mechanistic pathways that have been described through which maternal inflammation during pregnancy may affect fetal brain development, the role of mitochondria has received little attention. In this review, the role of mitochondria as a potential mediator of the association between MIA during pregnancy and offspring brain development and risk for psychiatric disorders will be proposed. As a basis for this postulation, convergent evidence is presented supporting the obligatory role of mitochondria in brain development, the role of mitochondria as mediators and initiators of inflammatory processes, and evidence of mitochondrial dysfunction in preclinical MIA exposure models and human neurodevelopmental disorders. Elucidating the role of mitochondria as a potential mediator of MIA-induced alterations in brain development and neurodevelopmental disease risk may not only provide new insight into the pathophysiology of mental health disorders that have their origins in exposure to infection/immune activation during pregnancy but also offer new therapeutic targets.

Keywords: Bioenergetic function; Brain; Maternal immune activation; Mitochondria; Neurodevelopment; Oxidative stress.

Publication types

Review
Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Brain / metabolism
Female
Humans
Inflammation
Mitochondria / metabolism
Neurodevelopmental Disorders* / etiology
Pregnancy
Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects*

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Grants and funding