Extracellular vesicles and the placenta–brain axis: mechanisms of shared risk in pregnancy and perinatal psychiatry

Hannah Hazzard; Brianna Blaine; Benjamin B Borrman; Susan Q Shen; Serena B Gumusoglu

doi:10.1016/j.cophys.2026.100913

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Extracellular vesicles and the placenta–brain axis: mechanisms of shared risk in pregnancy and perinatal psychiatry

Journal article

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Extracellular vesicles and the placenta–brain axis: mechanisms of shared risk in pregnancy and perinatal psychiatry

Hannah Hazzard, Brianna Blaine, Benjamin B Borrman, Susan Q Shen and Serena B Gumusoglu

Current opinion in physiology, Vol.47, 100913

03/01/2026

DOI: 10.1016/j.cophys.2026.100913

PMID: 41717050

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https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12915965/View

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Abstract

Obstetric complications are associated with both maternal psychiatric risk and with neurodevelopmental risk in exposed offspring. This association points to shared mechanisms linking prengnacy complications to adverse brain outcomes in both mothers and children. We propose that extracellular vesicles (EVs) may subserve this shared psycho-obstetric risk. EVs are small lipid bilayer-bound particles containing regulatory nucleic acids and proteins that are released from cells into circulation, where they readily cross blood–brain and placental barriers. In pregnancy, EVs are produced in large numbers by the placenta and are implicated in pregnancy-related medical and psychiatric conditions via vascular, endocrine, and immune mechanisms.

Details

Title: Subtitle: Extracellular vesicles and the placenta–brain axis: mechanisms of shared risk in pregnancy and perinatal psychiatry
Creators: Hannah Hazzard - University of Iowa
Brianna Blaine - University of Iowa
Benjamin B Borrman - University of Iowa
Susan Q Shen - University of Iowa
Serena B Gumusoglu - University of Iowa
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Current opinion in physiology, Vol.47, 100913
DOI: 10.1016/j.cophys.2026.100913
PMID: 41717050
NLM abbreviation: Curr Opin Physiol
ISSN: 2468-8673
eISSN: 2468-8673
Publisher: Elsevier Ltd
Grant note: Burroughs Wellcome Fund: 18736300 American Heart Association: 25CDA1457521 National Institutes of Health CTSA K12 Program at the University of Iowa: K12TR004382
Funding This work was supported by the Burroughs Wellcome Fund (grant number 18736300) , the American Heart Association (grant number 25CDA1457521) and the National Institutes of Health CTSA K12 Program at the University of Iowa (K12TR004382) .
Language: English
Date published: 03/01/2026
Academic Unit: Psychiatry; Psychological and Brain Sciences; Iowa Neuroscience Institute; Obstetrics and Gynecology
Record Identifier: 9985139491002771

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