- Title
- Increased white matter neuron density in a rat model of maternal immune activation - implications for schizophrenia
- Creator
- Duchatel, Ryan J.; Jobling, Phillip; Graham, Brett A.; Harms, Lauren R.; Michie, Patricia T.; Hodgson, Deborah M.; Tooney, Paul A.
- Relation
- NHMRC.1026070
- Relation
- Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry Vol. 65, p. 118-126
- Publisher Link
- http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pnpbp.2015.09.006
- Publisher
- Elsevier
- Resource Type
- journal article
- Date
- 2016
- Description
- Interstitial neurons are located among white matter tracts of the human and rodent brain. Post-mortem studies have identified increased interstitial white matter neuron (IWMN) density in the fibre tracts below the cortex in people with schizophrenia. The current study assesses IWMN pathology in a model of maternal immune activation (MIA); a risk factor for schizophrenia. Experimental MIA was produced by an injection of polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid (PolyI:C) into pregnant rats on gestational day (GD) 10 or GD19. A separate control group received saline injections. The density of neuronal nuclear antigen (NeuN+) and somatostatin (SST+) IWMNs was determined in the white matter of the corpus callosum in two rostrocaudally adjacent areas in the 12week old offspring of GD10 (n=10) or GD19 polyI:C dams (n=18) compared to controls (n=20). NeuN+ IWMN density trended to be higher in offspring from dams exposed to polyI:C at GD19, but not GD10. A subpopulation of these NeuN+ IWMNs was shown to express SST. PolyI:C treatment of dams induced a significant increase in the density of SST+ IWMNs in the offspring when delivered at both gestational stages with more regionally widespread effects observed at GD19. A positive correlation was observed between NeuN+ and SST+ IWMN density in animals exposed to polyI:C at GD19, but not controls. This is the first study to show that MIA increases IWMN density in adult offspring in a similar manner to that seen in the brain in schizophrenia. This suggests the MIA model will be useful in future studies aimed at probing the relationship between IWMNs and schizophrenia.
- Subject
- somatostatin; interstitial white matter neuron; schizophrenia; maternal immune activation; polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid; prenatal immune challenge
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1329390
- Identifier
- uon:26149
- Identifier
- ISSN:0278-5846
- Language
- eng
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