Author ORCID Identifier(s)

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0634-8118

Date of Award

9-2024

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

First Advisor

Lior Brimberg

Abstract

This project adds to the growing body of literature linking maternal anti-brain antibodies to the presence of ASD in offspring.  We have previously detailed the ASD-like phenotype observed in male, but not female following exposure in utero to anti-Caspr2 IgG.79,380  The structural and behavioral phenotype in males exposed in utero to anti-Caspr2 IgG includes thinning of the cortical plate, reduction in parvalbumin interneurons in the hippocampus, reduced dendritic arborization and dendritic spine density of CA1 hippocampal pyramidal neurons, increased repetitive behavior, and reduced social behavior.380  In this work, we discover changes in microglia in male offspring exposed in utero to maternal anti-Caspr2 IgG and propose the BBB-crossing ACE inhibitor captopril as a novel therapeutic to ameliorate the cellular and behavioral phenotype observed in these mice.

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