Topic: Poly IC

Background: Past studies have revealed the lasting effects of stress susceptibility and maternal immune activation on hippocampal DNA methylation landscape in adult offspring. Yet, alterations of the DNA methylation landscape during early postnatal development and following maternal immune activation remain less studied. Methods: We used two mouse strains characterized by social dominance (Dom) and submissiveness (Sub), exhibiting inherent traits of elevated and diminished stress sensitivity. Additionally, Poly IC was administered to a subgroup of the dams at gestational day 14 to induce mater

Maternal exposure to viruses and related immunogens can have deleterious effects on neurodevelopment and lead to an increased risk of several psychopathologies, such as schizophrenia. Alcohol use disorder is more prevalent among individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia. However, the mechanisms underlying this association remain unknown. Here, we exposed pregnant rats to the viral analogue poly IC and studied several features of alcohol use disorder in the offspring, including increased motivation, compulsivity, and preference for ethanol over an alternative reward (saccharine). Prior to these