2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

Pathological mechanism of neurodevelopmental disorders caused by the disruption of neuroimmune system

Research Project

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Project/Area Number	20H03570
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
Allocation Type	Single-year Grants
Section	一般
Review Section	Basic Section 51030:Pathophysiologic neuroscience-related
Research Institution	National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry
Principal Investigator	Tanabe Shogo 国立研究開発法人国立精神・神経医療研究センター, 神経研究所神経薬理研究部, 室長 (40772166)
Project Period (FY)	2020-04-01 – 2023-03-31
Keywords	脳発達障害 / 脳内免疫システム
Outline of Final Research Achievements	Although abberant immune responses during brain development inhibit normal brain development and create neural circuits that do not normally form, leading to neurodevelopmental disorders, the molecular mechanisms have been unclear. In this study, we elucidated the molecular mechanisms by which abnormalities in the neuroimmune system cause neurodevelopmental disorders by focusing on autism spectrum disorders and neonatal meningitis. We observed behavioral abnormalities due to inflammation in developing brain, and identified the neural circuits that cause brain developmental disorders and their molecular mechanisms through cell culture experiments, cell depletion, neural tracing experiments, and RNA-seq analysis.
Free Research Field	神経科学
Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements	本研究では、自閉症スペクトラム障害や髄膜炎を対象に免疫系の異常に伴う脳発達障害の発症メカニズムを解明した。免疫系による異常な神経回路形成のメカニズムを分子レベルで解明することで発達期の炎症によって引き起こされる脳発達障害の発症を予防する新たな治療標的が発見されることが期待される。