Prenatal immune activation alters hippocampal place cell firing characteristics in adult animals.

摘要: Prenatal maternal immune activation (MIA) is a risk factor for several developmental neuropsychiatric disorders, including autism, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Adults with these disorders display alterations in memory function that may result from changes the structure of hippocampus. In present study we use an animal model to investigate effect transient prenatal episode has on spatially-modulated firing activity hippocampal neurons adult animals. MIA was induced pregnant rat dams single injection synthetic cytokine inducer polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid (poly I:C) gestational day 15. Control were given saline equivalent. Firing local field potentials (LFPs) recorded CA1 region male offspring as they moved freely open arena. Most displayed characteristic 'place cell' while there no between-group difference mean rate between groups, place cells had smaller fields MIA-exposed animals when compared control-group cells. Cells MIA-group also altered firing-phase synchrony relationship simultaneously LFPs. When floor arena rotated, more likely shift same direction rotation, suggesting cues have been salient contrast, control group position novel spatial locations response contextual cues. These findings show intervention sufficient change important characteristics cell offspring. could contribute dysfunction associated MIA, by altering encoding context disrupting plasticity mechanisms are dependent spike timing synchrony.