Maternal Antibodies to Microbial and Tissue Antigens during Pregnancy and Childhood Epilepsy

Accumulating data support the view that prenatal exposure to infections can influence adversely nervous system development and cause long-term morbidity, by either direct invasion or by indirect mechanisms. Our new indirect effect hypothesis proposes that some neurological and mental (neuro-mental) disorders – including epilepsy – can result from maternal antibodies to pathogenic glycan epitopes of infectious agents with molecular mimicry to the developing nervous system. High-titered antibodies that cross the more permissive fetal blood-brain barriers could then cause neonatal or delayed clinical ill-effects. It is anticipated that the results of our international/interdiciplinary study could lead to further understanding of causality, provide more specific diagnosis, as well as possible novel preventive and therapeutic interventions.