| Microbial and Immunopathogenesis of Neuropsychiatric Disorders
Because findings of research investigating the pathogenesis of neurodevelopmental disorders may be very subtle, and outcomes may depend on an extraordinarily complex interaction between genetic and environmental factors, set in the context of maturation, pathogenesis studies focused on the central nervous system may have implications for a number of neuropsychiatric diseases, including autism and AD/HD, as well as mood disorders, schizophrenia, and OCD.
At CII, epidemiologic and animal model research probes for commonalities in pathways identified as important contributors to disease, exploring these areas of overlap as a potential basis for more general mechanisms of irregular or impaired neurodevelopment. Animal models explore the challenges to immune systems and neural development by using viruses which affect the CNS, such as bornavirus; viral mimics; immunotoxins; and bacteria such as strep.
CII research has explored cellular mechanisms that mediate virus-induced neuronal damage in the developing brain, using neonatal viral infection with Borna Disease virus as a model system. This research has identified diverse cell-type and brain-region specific cellular pathways, including endoplasmic reticulum stress, zinc dysregulation, poly(ADP) ribosylation and caspase activation, as downstream contributors to viral injury of the maturing central nervous system.
More research on Neurodevelopmental Disorders:
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