Behavioral alterations after early neonatal exposure to the viral mimetic Poly I:C

Especially during critical periods of brain development, exposure to toxic-infectious stressors can generate permanent changes in the immune response and maladaptive plasticity mechanisms associated with pathologies. In mice, the 3rd to 4th postnatal week is a critical time window during which the synaptic refinement makes the brain particularly sensitive to environmental stimuli. The long-term behavioral sequelae observed in patients infected by SARS-CoV-2 during the recent COVID-19 pandemic included confusion, memory loss, and mental illnesses. These observations raised the need to understand the impact of viral infections on long-term mechanisms involved in susceptibility to psychiatric disorders.