Brave New World: The Intrauterine Environment as the Biological Foundation for the Lifespan -- In the Beginning -- Maternal Influences on the Developing Fetus -- Implications of Maternal Programming for Fetal Neurodevelopment -- Maternal Thyroid Function During Pregnancy: Effects on the Developing Fetal Brain -- Obstetric Factors Related to Perinatal Brain Injury -- Activation of the Maternal Immune System as a Risk Factor for Neuropsychiatric Disorders -- Prenatal Infections and Schizophrenia in Later Life – Focus on Toxoplasma gondii -- Maternally Acting Alleles in Autism and Other Neurodevelopmental Disorders: The Role of HLA-DR4 Within the Major Histocompatibility Complex.

The study of maternal influences on the intrauterine environment as they relate to the developing fetal brain promises to be an important area of study. Findings in this area may make it possible to delineate the prenatal mechanisms that affect ongoing cell programming in the fetus and lead to neurodevelopmental disorders. Maternal Influences on Fetal Neurodevelopment: Clinical and Research Aspects advances the field by discussing a wide range of issues impacting several neurodevelopmental disorders. These include ADHD, autism, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Of value to practitioners and researchers in the areas of pediatric neurology, obstetrics and gynecology, fetal physiology, neuroscience, genetics, developmental medicine, perinatology, toxicology and developmental psychology, Maternal Influences on Fetal Neurodevelopment: Clinical and Research Aspects joins together research from various disciplines and demonstrates interrelated and common themes that can direct current and future multidisciplinary research and clinical care.