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REVIEW article

Front. Cell. Neurosci.

Sec. Non-Neuronal Cells

Volume 19 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fncel.2025.1451889

This article is part of the Research Topic Reviews in non-neuronal cells 2024 & 2025 View all 4 articles

The Roles of Immune Factors in Neurodevelopment

Provisionally accepted
  • Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The development of the nervous system is a highly complex process orchestrated by a multitude of factors, including various immune elements. These immune components play a dual role, not only regulating the immune response but also actively influencing brain development under both physiological and pathological conditions. The brain's immune barrier includes microglia in the brain parenchyma, which act as resident macrophages, astrocytes that support neuronal function and contribute to the inflammatory response, as well as circulating immune cells that reside at the brain's borders, including the choroid plexus, meninges, and perivascular spaces. Cytokines-soluble signaling molecules released by immune cells-play a crucial role in mediating communication between immune cells and the developing nervous system. Cytokines regulate processes such as neurogenesis, synaptic pruning, and inflammation, helping to shape the neural environment.Dysregulation of these immune cells, astrocytes, or cytokine signaling can lead to alterations in neurodevelopment, potentially contributing to neurodevelopmental abnormalities. This article reviews the central role of microglia, astrocytes, cytokines, and other immune factors in neurodevelopment, and explores how neuroinflammation can lead to the onset of neurodevelopmental disorders, shedding new light on their pathogenesis.

    Keywords: cytokine, Microglia, Meninges, maternal immune activation, Immunity

    Received: 20 Jun 2024; Accepted: 28 Mar 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Wang, He, Qin, Jiao and Ji. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Jianwei Jiao, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, China
    Fen Ji, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

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