Identifying and understanding the sources of inherent risk to neurodevelopmental disorders is a fundamental goal of neuroscience. Being male or being exposed to inflammation early in life are two known risk factors, but they are only infrequently associated with each other. Cellular and molecular mechanisms mediating the masculinization of the brain in animal models reveal a consistent role for inflammatory signaling molecules and immune cells in the healthy male brain. Why this is so remains in the realm of speculation but may have its origins in the maternal immune system. Masculinization of the brain occurs during a restricted critical period that begins in utero and overlaps with the sensitive period during which maternal immune activation negatively impacts the developing brain. The convergence of maleness and early life inflammation as risk factors for neuropsychiatric disorders compels us to consider whether sexual differentiation of the brain in males creates an inherent and greater risk than that experienced by females.

中文翻译：

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神经免疫的性别差异是一个固有的风险因素。

识别和了解神经发育障碍固有风险的来源是神经科学的基本目标。作为男性或在生命早期暴露于炎症是两个已知的风险因素，但它们很少相互关联。在动物模型中介导大脑男性化的细胞和分子机制揭示了炎症信号分子和免疫细胞在健康男性大脑中的一致作用。为什么会这样仍处于推测领域，但可能起源于母体免疫系统。大脑的男性化发生在一个受限制的关键时期，该时期始于子宫，并与母体免疫激活对发育中的大脑产生负面影响的敏感时期重叠。