A population-based prospective birth cohort study of childhood neurocognitive and psychological functioning in healthy survivors of early life meningitis

Abstract

Exposure to meningitis in the early life is associated with neurocognitive, educational, and psychological difficulties during childhood and early adolescence among survivors who are apparently healthy. Therefore, focusing only on serious neurologic disabilities may underestimate the true impact of early life meningitis.

Association of Childhood Infection With IQ and Adult Nonaffective Psychosis in Swedish Men

“…30,31 Prenatal and childhood infections can interfere with neurodevelopment. [16][17][18][32][33][34] The mediation analysis suggests childhood infections contribute to development of psychosis partly by interfering with neurodevelopment.…”

Is there a role for immune-to-brain communication in schizophrenia?

“…Exposure to Epstein–Barr virus in early childhood is associated with subclinical psychotic symptoms in adolescence (Khandaker et al 2014b). Childhood CNS infections are associated with nearly twofold increased risks of subclinical psychotic symptoms in adolescence (Khandaker et al 2015) and schizophrenia in adult life (Khandaker et al 2012). …”

Serum C-reactive protein in adolescence and risk of schizophrenia in adulthood: A prospective birth cohort study

“…Schizophrenia is associated with increased prevalence of various infections, including the intracellular parasite Toxoplasma gondii (Torrey et al, 2007) and neurotropic viruses from the Herpesviridae family (Bartova et al, 1987, Delisi et al, 1986). Systematic reviews (Khandaker et al, 2012, Khandaker et al, 2013) of population-based studies suggest prenatal maternal infection (Brown et al, 2004a, Brown and Derkits, 2010, Buka et al, 2001a, Khandaker et al, 2013, Mortensen et al, 2007), raised inflammatory markers during pregnancy (Brown et al, 2004b, Buka et al, 2001b, Canetta et al, 2014), and childhood infections (Benros et al, 2011, Dalman et al, 2008, Khandaker et al, 2015b) are associated with psychotic disorders in adulthood and sub-clinical psychotic experiences (PEs) in adolescence. Similarly, infection/inflammation is associated with cognitive impairments in schizophrenia patients (Dickerson et al, 2012, Dickerson et al, 2008) and impaired neurodevelopment and behavioural problems in experimental animal models of prenatal immune activation (Meyer et al, 2008, Shi et al, 2009, Weir et al, 2015).…”