Maternal Immune Activation Impairs Reversal Learning and Increases Serum Tumor Necrosis Factor-α in Offspring

Abstract

Maternal immune activation (MIA) produces a variety of behavioral and brain abnormalities in rodent models of several neuropsychiatric disorders. However, it remains controversial whether MIA impairs reversal learning, a basic function of flexibility relevant to those diseases, in offspring. In the present study, we used the Morris water maze to investigate the effects of middle to late gestation stage poly(I:C) challenges on spatial learning and subsequent reversal learning performance in adolescent rats. Maternal poly(I:C) treatment induced deficits in reversal learning without affecting spatial acquisition abilities. In addition, the serum level of the proinflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor-α was increased in MIA rats. This study advances our understanding of how MIA affects adolescent behavior and brain function.