Effects of abnormal microglial activity induced by prenatal exposure of valproic acid on the morphogenesis and development of the cerebral cortex

Abstract

Prenatal exposure to the antiepileptic drug valproic acid (VPA) has been reported to increase the risk of a teratogenic and developmental disorder. In this study, VPA (400 mg/kg) was subcutaneously administered to ICR mice on the 12th day of gestation. Increased neural stem cell proliferation and abnormal activation of microglia were observed in the VPA-treated group at E15 embryos. Behavioral analysis observed increased motor activity and abnormal social behavior. These data showed that prenatal exposure of VPA might be induced the proliferation of neural stem cells by abnormal activity of microglia.