Fig. 1.

Poly I:C induces rapid upregulation of IL-6 in maternal plasma and behavioral impairments in maternal inflammation-affected offspring. a Upregulation of IL-6 protein in maternal plasma 3 h after i.v. injection of poly I:C (n = 8 and 9 for PBS and poly I:C respectively, 5 wild-type and 3 and 4 GAD67-EGFP mice, respectively, labeled by filled and green circles/squares, respectively). Prenatal exposure to maternal inflammation results in impaired social zone preference (b) (n = 12 each), as well as a decrease in time spent in social zone (c) (F = 3.23). Mice exposed to maternal inflammation during gestation present signs of hyperactivity as seen by total distance traveled (d) (n = 12 each) and speed of running over a 10 min period (e) (n = 12 each). f Maternal inflammation during early gestation induces schizotypal effects in offspring that can be gauged by a decreased prepulse inhibition (at 72 dB) (n = 15 and 9 for PBS and poly I:C, respectively). Comparison of means by Student’s t-test in a, d, and f, t-test with Holm-Sidak correction for multiple comparison in b and two-way ANOVA in c and, e (mean ± SEM are shown, *p < 0.05, **p < 0.005)