Maternal folic acid overconsumption in mice leads to sex-specific transcriptional alterations in cerebral cortex in offspring

Recent concerns have been raised regarding high folate intake during pregnancy and lactation, particularly following food fortification and increased vitamin supplement use. Epidemiologic studies have shown that high folic acid (FA) intake can negatively impact motor and neurocognitive development in offspring. We used microarray to investigate the mechanisms by which a supplemented diet containing 5-fold higher FA than recommended (FASD) affects brain function in both male and female offspring. At weaning, wild-type C57BL/6 female mice were placed for a month on a control diet or a FASD, and then mated to study offspring. Diets were maintained throughout pregnancy and lactation. We conducted several behavioral tests on pups before sacrificing them at weaning. Brains were collected to conduct gene expression analysis by microarray using Affymetrix Clariom S array_Mouse Chip.