Maternal Immune Activation and Interleukin 17A in the Pathogenesis of Autistic Spectrum Disorder and Why It Matters in the COVID-19 Era

Abstract

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is the commonest neurodevelopmental disability. It is a highly complex disorder with an increasing prevalence and an unclear etiology. Consensus indicates that ASD arises as a genetically modulated, and environmentally influenced condition. Although pathogenic rare genetic variants are detected in around 20% of cases of ASD, no single factor is responsible for the vast majority of ASD cases or that explains their characteristic clinical heterogeneity. However, a growing body of evidence suggests that ASD susceptibility involves an interplay between genetic factors and environmental exposures. One such environmental exposure which has received significant attention in this regard is maternal immune activation (MIA) resulting from bacterial or viral infection during pregnancy. Reproducible rodent models of ASD are well-established whereby induction of MIA in pregnant dams, leads to offspring displaying neuroanatomical, functional, and behavioral changes analogous to those seen in ASD. Blockade of specific inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-17A during gestation remediates many of these observed behavioral effects, suggesting a causative or contributory role. Here, we review the growing body of animal and human-based evidence indicating that interleukin-17A may mediate the observed effects of MIA on neurodevelopmental outcomes in the offspring. This is particularly important given the current corona virus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection during pregnancy is a potent stimulator of the maternal immune response, however the long-term effects of maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection on neurodevelopmental outcomes is unclear. This underscores the importance of monitoring neurodevelopmental outcomes in children exposed to SARS-CoV-2-induced MIA during gestation.

The Outcomes of Maternal Immune Activation Induced with the Viral Mimetic Poly I:C on Microglia in Exposed Rodent Offspring

“…In this review, we will focus on viral infections as immune response triggers because of the drastic increase in risk for neurodevelopmental disorders after a viral infection during pregnancy and considering the relevance to current conditions associated with COVID-19. COVID-19, which is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, has potentially important yet still largely undefined impacts on neurodevelopment [11][12][13][14][15][16]. Additionally, we will describe the current knowledge on the roles of microglia following MIA induced with the viral mimetic polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (poly I:C) in rodents.…”

Confiabilidade de informações sobre a covid-19 em grupos no Facebook

“…Portanto, 72 postagens foram checadas quanto à veracidade e, destas, 9 versavam sobre prevenção, 31 sobre contágio e 32 sobre tratamento.A checagem de veracidade das postagens foi realizada por meio da técnica de verificação dos fatos (factchecking) como proposto em outros estudos (LÓPEZ-GARCÍA; COSTA-SÁNCHEZ; VIZOSO, 2021; SHAHI; DIRKSON; MAJCHRZAK, 2021). De forma geral, a confiabilidade da informação contida no conteúdo disseminado foi verificada a partir da comparação entre o conteúdo de cada postagem e as informações disponibilizadas pela Organização Mundial da Saúde (WHO REACT WORKING GROUP, 2020, 2021) ou encontradas em artigos científicos publicados em revistas renomadas na área da saúde(SIEMIENIUK et al, 2020;KRAUSE et al, 2021;CARTER et al, 2022; SHOOK et al, 2022), específicas para cada tema abordado.Para caracterizar o engajamento dos usuários com as publicações, foi quantificado o número de likes, comentários e compartilhamentos de cada uma das postagens.…”