Study details Zika virus disrupting fetal brain development during pregnancy
Tuesday, September 13, 2016 - 05:05
in Health & Medicine
For the first time, abnormal brain development following a Zika infection during pregnancy has been documented experimentally in the offspring of a non-human primate. The researchers' observations of how Zika virus arrested fetal brain formation could provide a model for testing therapeutic interventions. The study also provided direct evidence that the Zika virus can cross the placenta in late pregnancy and affect the brain by shutting down certain aspects of brain development.