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[Preprint]. 2023 Jul 3:rs.3.rs-3100753. [Version 1] doi: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3100753/v1

Figure 1: Timeline and summary of experimental design.

Figure 1:

Maternal immune activation (MIA) was induced by an intravenous administration of 2.5 or 5 mg/kg of the viral-like immunostimulant poly(I:C) in C57BL/6JRj mice during early pregnancy (E9). An equivalent vehicle injection of 5 ml/kg PBS was used for controls and all dams’ health was closely monitored. In four separate cohorts, male and female offspring (50±4.5% for each group) were either extracted before birth (E18, n=92) for proteomic analysis in hippocampal synaptoneurosomes (SN), or allowed to reach adulthood. The adult offspring (n=82) was tested using a behavioural test battery for psychiatrically relevant endophenotypes. We assessed locomotion, exploration, and anxiety-like behaviour (Open Field, Light-Dark Box, Elevated Zero Maze), social memory and preference, spatial novelty response and memory (Y-maze), acoustic startle reflex and sensorimotor gating (i.e. prepulse inhibition, PPI), and depressive-like behaviours (Nesting, Sucrose Preference, Swim Test). After a recovery period following the end of testing, mouse brains were collected and SN proteomics in the HPC were performed. For more information on experimental procedure and animals, see Supplementary Table S1, Supplementary Figure S1–2, and Supplementary MIA Checklist. Abbreviations: E, embryonic day; HPC, hippocampus; MIA, maternal immune activation; PBS, phosphate-buffered saline; poly(I:C), polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid.