138. Higher Maternal Serum Choline Levels Mitigate the Impact of Prenatal Infection on 4-Month-Old Behavior

Abstract

Conclusion:Our data suggest that the developmentally specific pruning of dendritic spines on PCs in the PFC occurs during adolescence, substantially later than in other areas of the brain. Ongoing studies are examining whether the presynaptic partners of spines are also engulfed by microglia during adolescence. These studies are a foundation for understanding the processes governing developmental PFC synaptic elimination. The adolescent surge in MG sculpting of PFC structure occurs at the time when premorbid behavioral changes (prodromal symptoms) first appear in youths who will subsequently have a psychotic break and is consistent with Feinberg's hypothesis that abnormal enhancement of synaptic elimination is a key pathophysiological feature of schizophrenia. Our work may help guide the identification of pharmacological targets for early interventions designed to attenuate or prevent the cortical pathology and emergence of cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia. We are currently determining if temporally specific ablation of microglia during adolescence leads to adult PFC PC pathology that mirrors that seen in schizophrenia. HIGHER MATERNAL SERUM CHOLINE LEVELS MITIGATE THE IMPACT OF PRENATAL INFECTION ON 4-MONTH-OLD BEHAVIORRandy Ross*, Hoffman M. Camille, D'Allesandro Angelo, Hansen Kirk C., and Freedman Robert University of ColoradoBackground: Prenatal maternal infection is associated with increased risk in the offspring for a variety of neuropsychiatric illnesses including schizophrenia, autism, and ADHD. Higher prenatal maternal serum choline levels have been shown in basic science experiments to mitigate the impact of prenatal infection. This report addresses whether higher prenatal maternal serum choline levels mitigates the impact of prenatal infection on 3-monthold human infant behavior. Methods: 153 initially healthy pregnant women reported at 16 weeks gestation whether they had experienced symptoms of an infection in the previous 6 weeks. Women who reported moderate-severe symptoms and/or who sought treatment were considered positive for an infection. Serum was drawn for choline levels at the same time. Infant behavior was assessed via a parent-report instrument, the Infant Behavior Questionnaire (IBQ), at 12 weeks of age (age adjusted for gestational age at birth). The IBQ produces three summary scores: Surgency/Extraversion, Negative Affectivity, and Orienting/Regulation. Results: For Orienting/Regulation, regression analysis demonstrated a trend towards an effect of maternal serum choline level (adjusted beta = .194, P = .059) with significant effects of maternal infection (adjusted beta = −.226, P = .016) and the interaction between maternal choline levels and maternal infection (adjusted beta = .360, P = .002). There was a significant main effect for maternal infection on Surgency/Extraversion (standardized beta = .214, P = .042). No other significant main or interaction effects were identified. Conclusion: Prenatal exposure to maternal infection in the late first trimester/ early second trimest...