Electron microscopic studies of brain tissue in fetuses from schizophrenic mothers

Joint Event on 11^th International Conference on Vascular Dementia & 27^th Euro-Global Neurologists Meeting

July 23-25, 2018 | Moscow, Russia

Segundo Mesa Castillo

Havana Psychiatric Hospital, Cuba

Posters & Accepted Abstracts: J Neurol Disord

Abstract :

The neurodevelopmental theory in the etiology of schizophrenia is considered one of the most consistent at present. Evidence from epidemiological and neuropathological studies indicate that the pathogenic process that culminate in the development of schizophrenia are initiated early in life and has been associated with a variety of prenatal environmental insults to the developing brain, including infection. Although the infectious agents have been proposed as one of the risk factors for schizophrenia the data on the association of a specific infectious agent with prenatal brain evidence is absent. Understanding of the structural abnormalities would allow a better identification of neurodevelopmental processes that contribute to risk for schizophrenia. We have hypothesized that at ultra high-risk fetuses would have alterations at cellular level that would let us differentiate them to the comparison subjects. A reappraisal of our ultra-structural studies carried out in samples of the left temporal lobe of foetuses at ultra-high risk of developing schizophrenia is presented. The findings obtained are compatible with an active infection of the central nervous system by herpes simplex hominis type I [HSV1] virus. The present results are the first direct evidence that demonstrate the presence of this virus in the central nervous system of foetuses from schizophrenic mothers in the critical period of foetal development. The importance of this finding can have practical applications in the prevention of the illness keeping in mind its direct relation to the etiology and physiopathology of schizophrenia.