Principal Investigator Gloria Choi
Uncontrolled Inflammation during pregnancy has been proposed as one environmental risk factor to the development of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in affected children. Using a well-established rodent model mimicking this pathophysiology, we have recently identified a particular type of immune cells and their secreted proteins as direct mediators of inflammation-induced ASD-like phenotypes. We have also found disorganized cortical development in the affected fetal brain. In this proposed study, we aim to gain more insights into how inflammation affects brain development by identifying differentially regulated genetic factors and by developing novel genetically engineered mouse lines.