1) Deficient corticogenesis, brain atrophy, impaired development of the corpus callosum, reduced hippocampal volumes, decreased expression of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) are showed by exposing pregnant mam to influenza virus.
The host innate immune Toll-like receptor (TLR) 3 recognizes the viral replicative, intermediate double-stranded RNA (dsRNA). Thus, dsRNA may be critical for the outcome of the infection.
2) PolyI:C is a synthetic analogue of double-stranded RNA and is recognized by TLR3. Upon binding to TLR PolyI:C stimulate the production and release of many pro-inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin (IL)-1b, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-a. In addition, PolyI:C is a potent inducer of the type I interferons IFN-a and IFN-b.
Administration of PolyI:C mimics the acute phase response to viral infection.
Numerous studies in rats and mice have provided robust evidence for the emergence of a multitude of behavioral, cognitive and pharmacological dysfunctions in adulthood following prenatal exposure to the immune-activating agent PolyI:C (Shi et al., 2003; Zuckerman et al., 2003; Zuckerman and Weiner,2003, 2005; Meyer et al., 2005, 2006a,b,c, 2008a,b,c, in press; Ozawa et al., 2006; Smith et al., 2007; Wolff and Bilkey, 2008).
Importantly, many of the prenatal infection-induced behavioral, cognitive and pharmacological
dysfunctions in adult rats and mice are implicated in some of the most critical phenotypes of schizophrenia and other psychosis related disorders, including abnormalities in sensorimotor gating, selective attention, social interaction, working memory and sensitivity to psychostimulant drugs.
Both COVID-19 and influenza virus have ssRNA
so...
... could maternal COVID-19 infection lead to pathological signs in the offspring’s brains by activating TLR3 with the replicative, intermediate double-stranded RNA (dsRNA)?
Nobody can answer this question unless babies born to COVID-19 infected mothers are followed up to adult age to check for features of schizophrenia or brain biopsy of the living offspring born to such mothers is done.
Both these will be impossible to do at this point in time.
Nobody could not even say last year that a beast later on to be named SARS-CoV-2 will play hovic all over the world within one year!
Dear Nashaat Ghalib, I have wrote a paper recently about the possibility to use transgenic mice and what outcomes we could find. I'm waiting for the possible publication. I agree with you.
Very interesting topic 👍
I'am waiting to find confirmed answer after using transgenic mice in your research..best regards.