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Peer-reviewedCC BY 4.0International Journal of Molecular Sciences

Maternal Immune Activation by Lipopolysaccharide Reduced Parvalbumin Levels and Increased Perineuronal Nets in the Prefrontal Cortex Without Inducing Schizophrenia-like Behavioral Deficits in PV-Cre Long-Evans Rats

  • Iveta Vojtechova1
  • Klara Tuckova1,2
  • Viera Kutna1
  • Barbora Jelinkova1,3
  • Katerina Skalova1,2
  • Maria Lebedeva1
  • Anastasiia Khodak1,2
  • Tomas Machacek4
  • Tomas Petrasek1
4 affiliations
  1. 1National Institute of Mental Health, Topolova 748, 25067 Klecany, Czech Republic
  2. 2Department of Physiology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Albertov 6, 12800 Prague 2, Czech Republic
  3. 3Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Albertov 6, 12800 Prague 2, Czech Republic
  4. 4Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Albertov 6, 12800 Prague 2, Czech Republic
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Abstract

Models of maternal immune activation (MIA) often lead to parvalbumin-positive (PV+) interneuron deficits and behavioral alterations resembling autism or schizophrenia. We aimed to characterize the effects of MIA in PV-Cre Long-Evans rats. Pregnant dams received 8 lipopolysaccharide injections (1 mg/kg), on alternating days, starting with gestational day 7. The offspring behavior was tested from postnatal day 5 to adulthood, with tasks assessing motor development, anxiety, exploration, social behavior and sensorimotor gating. Morphological changes in the brain, density of PV+ interneurons and perineuronal nets in the prefrontal cortex, as well as the quantity of PV protein were measured at selected timepoints. We found that MIA in PV-Cre Long-Evans rats failed to elicit the expected schizophrenia- or autism-like deficits. Decrease in PV protein in the prefrontal cortex was present without corresponding decrement of PV+ interneurons, with a paradoxical increase in perineuronal net counts. PV-Cre Long-Evans rat line reacts to the MIA protocol very differently than Wistar rats in previously published studies and is suboptimal for studies of schizophrenia- or autism-like behavioral deficits. Genetic background seems to be an important factor for the outcome in MIA rodent models.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{vojtechova2026maternal,
  title = {{Maternal Immune Activation by Lipopolysaccharide Reduced Parvalbumin Levels and Increased Perineuronal Nets in the Prefrontal Cortex Without Inducing Schizophrenia-like Behavioral Deficits in PV-Cre Long-Evans Rats}},
  author = {Iveta Vojtechova and Klara Tuckova and Viera Kutna and Barbora Jelinkova and Katerina Skalova and Maria Lebedeva and Anastasiia Khodak and Tomas Machacek and Tomas Petrasek},
  journal = {International Journal of Molecular Sciences},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.3390/ijms27219649},
  url = {https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/27/21/9649},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Maternal Immune Activation by Lipopolysaccharide Reduced Parvalbumin Levels and Increased Perineuronal Nets in the Prefrontal Cortex Without Inducing Schizophrenia-like Behavioral Deficits in PV-Cre Long-Evans Rats
AU  - Iveta Vojtechova
AU  - Klara Tuckova
AU  - Viera Kutna
AU  - Barbora Jelinkova
AU  - Katerina Skalova
AU  - Maria Lebedeva
AU  - Anastasiia Khodak
AU  - Tomas Machacek
AU  - Tomas Petrasek
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/28
JO  - International Journal of Molecular Sciences
DO  - 10.3390/ijms27219649
UR  - https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/27/21/9649
AB  - Models of maternal immune activation (MIA) often lead to parvalbumin-positive (PV+) interneuron deficits and behavioral alterations resembling autism or schizophrenia. We aimed to characterize the effects of MIA in PV-Cre Long-Evans rats. Pregnant dams received 8 lipopolysaccharide injections (1 mg/kg), on alternating days, starting with gestational day 7. The offspring behavior was tested from postnatal day 5 to adulthood, with tasks assessing motor development, anxiety, exploration, social behavior and sensorimotor gating. Morphological changes in the brain, density of PV+ interneurons and perineuronal nets in the prefrontal cortex, as well as the quantity of PV protein were measured at selected timepoints. We found that MIA in PV-Cre Long-Evans rats failed to elicit the expected schizophrenia- or autism-like deficits. Decrease in PV protein in the prefrontal cortex was present without corresponding decrement of PV+ interneurons, with a paradoxical increase in perineuronal net counts. PV-Cre Long-Evans rat line reacts to the MIA protocol very differently than Wistar rats in previously published studies and is suboptimal for studies of schizophrenia- or autism-like behavioral deficits. Genetic background seems to be an important factor for the outcome in MIA rodent models.
SN  - 1422-0067
ER  -