A new study found female rats’ exposure to allergens during pregnancy had an effect on their pups.
This new study could help explain how allergies effect the development of ADHD and autism in children.
They have discovered changes in the rat brains of fetuses and rat pups exposed to allergens during pregnancy. The adult rats that were exposed to allergen before birth also showed signs of depression, lower anxiety, hyperactivity and antisocial behavior.
Prenatal exposure to allergens changes brain growth and ability to function which can be an underlying influence on the growth and development of the brain and central nervous system. They also found that there were lower numbers of immune cells in the brain, regardless of the animals' sex.
Allergen-exposed mothers had males that were socially stunted, restless, edgy and less able to adapt to the changing environments.
