Epidemiologic studies demonstrate significant environmental impact of maternal viral infection and obstetric complications on the risk of schizophrenia and indicate their detrimental influences on brain development in this disorder. Based on these findings, animal models for schizophrenia have been established using double stranded RNA, bacterial lipopolysaccharides, hippocampal lesion, or prenatal/perinatal ischemia. Key molecules regulating such immune/inflammatory reactions are cytokines, which are also involved in brain development, regulating dopaminergic and GABAergic differentiation, and synaptic maturation. Specific members of the cytokine family, such as interleukin-1, epidermal growth factor, and neuregulin-1, are induced after infection and brain injury; therefore, certain cytokines are postulated to have a central role in the neurodevelopmental defects of schizophrenia. Recently, to test this hypothesis, a variety of cytokines were administered to rodent pups. Cytokines administered in the periphery penetrated the immature blood–brain barrier and perturbed phenotypic neural development. Among the many cytokines examined, epidermal growth factor (or potentially other ErbB1 ligands) and interleukin-1 specifically induced the most severe and persistent behavioral and cognitive abnormalities, most of which were ameliorated by antipsychotics. These animal experiments illustrate that, during early development, these cytokine activities in the periphery perturbs normal brain development and impairs later psychobehavioral and/or cognitive traits. The neurodevelopmental and behavioral consequences of prenatal/perinatal cytokine activity are compared with those of other schizophrenia models and cytokine interactions with genes are also discussed in this review.
