title: Effects of immune activation during early or late gestation on schizophrenia-related behaviour in adult rat offspring.
abstract: Maternal exposure to infectious agents during gestation has been identified as a significant risk factor for schizophrenia. Using a mouse model, past work has demonstrated that the gestational timing of the immune-activating event can impact the behavioural phenotype and expression of dopaminergic and glutamatergic neurotransmission markers in the offspring. In order to determine the inter-species generality of this effect to rats, another commonly used model species, the current study investigated the impact of a viral mimetic Poly (I:C) at either an early (gestational day 10) or late (gestational day 19) time-point on schizophrenia-related behaviour and neurotransmitter receptor expression in rat offspring. Exposure to Poly (I:C) in late, but not early, gestation resulted in transient impairments in working memory. In addition, male rats exposed to maternal immune activation (MIA) in either early or late gestation exhibited sensorimotor gating deficits. Conversely, neither early nor late MIA exposure altered locomotor responses to MK-801 or amphetamine. In addition, increased dopamine 1 receptor mRNA levels were found in the nucleus accumbens of male rats exposed to early gestational MIA. The findings from this study diverge somewhat from previous findings in mice with MIA exposure, which were often found to exhibit a more comprehensive spectrum of schizophrenia-like phenotypes in both males and females, indicating potential differences in the neurodevelopmental vulnerability to MIA exposure in the rat with regards to schizophrenia related changes.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia; Priority Research Centre for Brain and Mental Health Research, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia; Schizophrenia Research Institute, Randwick, NSW, Australia; Hunter Medical Research Institute, Newcastle, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Crystal
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Meehan
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia; Priority Research Centre for Brain and Mental Health Research, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia; Schizophrenia Research Institute, Randwick, NSW, Australia; Hunter Medical Research Institute, Newcastle, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Lauren
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Harms
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia; Priority Research Centre for Brain and Mental Health Research, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia; Schizophrenia Research Institute, Randwick, NSW, Australia; Hunter Medical Research Institute, Newcastle, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Jade D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Frost
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Rafael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Barreto
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia; Priority Research Centre for Brain and Mental Health Research, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia; Schizophrenia Research Institute, Randwick, NSW, Australia; Hunter Medical Research Institute, Newcastle, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Juanita
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Todd
authors.affiliation: Priority Research Centre for Brain and Mental Health Research, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia; Schizophrenia Research Institute, Randwick, NSW, Australia; Hunter Medical Research Institute, Newcastle, NSW, Australia; School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Ulrich
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Schall
authors.affiliation: Schizophrenia Research Institute, Randwick, NSW, Australia; School of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia; Neuroscience Research Australia, Randwick, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Cynthia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Shannon Weickert
authors.affiliation: Schizophrenia Research Institute, Randwick, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Katerina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zavitsanou
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia; Priority Research Centre for Brain and Mental Health Research, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia; Schizophrenia Research Institute, Randwick, NSW, Australia; Hunter Medical Research Institute, Newcastle, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Patricia T
authors.initials: PT
authors.lastname: Michie
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia; Priority Research Centre for Brain and Mental Health Research, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia; Schizophrenia Research Institute, Randwick, NSW, Australia; Hunter Medical Research Institute, Newcastle, NSW, Australia. Electronic address: deborah.hodgson@newcastle.edu.au.
authors.forename: Deborah M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Hodgson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D018811:Maternal Exposure; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000187:drug effects; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects; D011070:Poly I-C / Q000494:pharmacology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000276:immunology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013216:Reflex, Startle / Q000187:drug effects; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D011070:Poly I-C
keywords: Dopamine; Gestational timing; Maternal immune activation; Neurodevelopment; Poly (I:C); Rat; Schizophrenia; Sensorimotor gating; Working memory