Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 27, 2026

Generating a Reproducible Model of Mid-Gestational Maternal Immune Activation using Poly(I:C) to Study Susceptibility and Resilience in Offspring
09:09

Generating a Reproducible Model of Mid-Gestational Maternal Immune Activation using Poly(I:C) to Study Susceptibility and Resilience in Offspring

Published on: August 17, 2022

Neonatal antibodies to infectious agents and risk of bipolar disorder: a population-based case-control study

Preben Bo Mortensen1, Carsten Bøcker Pedersen, John Joseph McGrath

  • 1National Centre for Register-based Research, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Aarhus, Aarhus, Denmark. pbm@ncrr.dk

Bipolar Disorders
|November 17, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Prenatal infections like herpes simplex virus (HSV), cytomegalovirus (CMV), and Toxoplasma gondii were not associated with bipolar disorder risk in this study. Further research with larger samples is needed to confirm these findings for maternal infections.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Epidemiology
  • Infectious Diseases

Background:

  • Prenatal exposure to infectious agents is a known risk factor for schizophrenia.
  • Limited research exists on the link between prenatal infections and bipolar disorder risk.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between neonatal markers of prenatal infections and the risk of developing bipolar disorder.

Main Methods:

  • Population-based study using Danish registers.
  • 127 individuals diagnosed with bipolar disorder and 127 matched controls.
  • Neonatal dried blood spots analyzed for antibodies to herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2 (HSV-1, HSV-2), cytomegalovirus (CMV), and Toxoplasma gondii.

Main Results:

  • No significant association was found between neonatal markers of prenatal infection and bipolar disorder risk.

Conclusions:

  • Maternal infections with HSV-1, HSV-2, CMV, or Toxoplasma gondii are not supported as risk factors for bipolar disorder in this study.
  • Larger sample sizes and more detailed data on infection timing and specific pathogen types are warranted for future research.
Abstract

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