New Delhi: Stress during pregnancy, including changes in gut health or immune system activation, can affect foetal brain development and increase the risk of neurodevelopmental abnormalities, according to a new genetic study in mice.

Published in Nature Neuroscience, the study mapped how prenatal stress alters the neuroimmune environment of the developing foetal brain using spatial transcriptomics, a technique that identifies active genes and their locations within tissues.

Lead researcher Brian Kalish of Boston Children's Hospital said the study provides a detailed map of immune gene networks during a critical stage of embryonic brain development. The researchers identified genes relevant to neurodevelopment and found sex-specific responses, including increased vulnerability of certain immune pathways in the male brain.

The study also highlighted the CXCL12/CXCR7 immune signalling pathway, which may disrupt normal neural stem cell development, leading to structural or functional defects. The findings offer insights into how maternal environment influences brain development and potential early interventions.