2023-10-14 13:00:00
In children, brain inflammation can alter the development of certain brain cells and cause neurological disorders like autism or schizophrenia, according to a new study published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.
Inflammation impacts children’s brain development
During their work, researchers from theUniversity of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) used a genomic technique that makes it possible to analyze all of the genetic information of an organism contained in each of its cells.
They thus studied the brains of 17 children who died between one and five years old due to inflammatory diseases (bacterial, viral infection or asthma) or following a sudden accident. More specifically, the scientists analyzed the cerebellum of these children, none of whom had been diagnosed with a neurological disorder before their death.
The cerebellum is a region of the brain linked to motor function and higher cognitive functions, including social behavior. “It is one of the first regions of the brain to develop and one of the last to reach maturity, but it remains little studied,” explains Dr. Seth Amentone of the authors.
Thus, they discovered that two specific types of neurons present in the cerebellum were particularly sensitive to brain inflammation: Golgi and Purkinje cells.
Neurological disorders favored by inflammation
“Purkinje and Golgi cells have essential functions,” explains Dr. Seth Ament. “Purkinje cells form synapses (region of contact between two neurons or between a neuron and another cell) connecting the cerebellum to other brain regions involved in cognition or emotional control, while Golgi cells coordinate communication between cells in the cerebellum. Disruption of any of these developmental processes might explain why inflammation promotes the development of autistic disorders or schizophrenia.”
Scientists therefore show that brain inflammation that takes place during early childhood prevents these specific types of neurons in the cerebellum from fully maturing, which may explain the development of these two diseases. A discovery which, in the long term, may lead to the development of new treatments.
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