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BRAIN DEVELOPMENT

Placental signaling influences cerebellum development

Placental allopregnanolone affects oligodendrocyte differentiation and myelination in the developing cerebellum. Male mice deprived of allopregnanolone in utero show impaired sociability and communication in later life; their female littermates are unaffected. Allopregnanolone replacement restores normal myelination and behavior.

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Fig. 1: Placental allopregnanolone acts on the cerebellum in male fetuses.

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Correspondence to Margaret M. McCarthy.

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McCarthy, M.M. Placental signaling influences cerebellum development. Nat Neurosci 24, 1343–1345 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41593-021-00918-1

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