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Background: Epidemiological studies suggest that the risk of neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and schizophrenia is increased by prenatal exposure to viral or bacterial infection during pregnancy. It is still unclear how activation of the maternal immune response interacts with underlying genetic factors to influence observed ASD phenotypes. Methods: The current study investigated how maternal immune activation (MIA) in mice impacts gene expression in the frontal cortex in adulthood, and how these molecular changes relate to deficits in cognitive flexibility and social behavior, and increases in repetitive behavior that are prevalent in ASD. Poly(I:C) (20 mg/kg) was administered to dams on E12.5 and offspring were tested for social approach behavior, repetitive grooming, and probabilistic reversal learning in adulthood (n = 8 vehicle; n = 9 Poly(I:C)). We employed next-generation high-throughput mRNA sequencing (RNA-seq) to comprehensively investigate the transcriptome profile in frontal cortex of adult offspring of Poly(I:C)-exposed dams. Results: Exposure to poly(I:C) during gestation impaired probabilistic reversal learning and decreased social approach in MIA offspring compared to controls. We found long-term effects of MIA on expression of 24 genes, including genes involved in glutamatergic neurotransmission, mTOR signaling and potassium ion channel activity. Correlations between gene expression and specific behavioral measures provided insight into genes that may be responsible for ASD-like behavioral alterations. Conclusions: These findings suggest that MIA can lead to impairments in cognitive flexibility in mice similar to those exhibited in ASD individuals, and that these impairments are associated with altered gene expression in frontal cortex.

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Background: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has demonstrated preliminary success as a treatment for neuropsychological disorders including obsessive-compulsive disorder and substance use disorder. This systematic review aims to assess the use of DBS in treating eating disorders (EDs) to determine its utility and the extent of adverse effects. Methods: A PubMed search following PRISMA guidelines was executed to find studies encompassing DBS as a treatment of ED. Outcomes were extracted from the literature and summarized while a review of quality was also performed. Results: From a search yielding 299 publications, 11 studies published between 2010 and 2020 were found to fit the inclusion criteria. Out of 53 patients who began with an abnormal BMI before treatment, 22 patients (41.5%) achieved normal BMI on follow-up. Significant neuropsychological improvement was seen in most patients as measured by neuropsychiatric testing and questionnaires. Conclusion: DBS as a treatment for ED may result in significant objective and psychological benefits. Further studies should aim to increase the sample size, standardize follow-up protocol, and standardize the neuropsychiatric tests used to determine psychological and physiological benefits.