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Background: Schizophrenia (SZ) is a severe mental illness with positive, negative, and cognitive symptoms. Previous findings suggest that alterations in the innate immune system could have a role in its physiopathology. The neurodevelopmental theory of SZ proposes a" 2 hit model" where the first hit occurs prenatally or perinatally causing brain developmental alterations, and the second hit during late adolescence triggers the first psychotic episode. Periodontitis is an irreversible inflammatory gum disease whose progression is irreversible. Increasing studies suggest the existence of comorbidity between both pathologies, pointing to chronic inflammation as a common denominator.

Methods: We designed an animal model based on maternal immune activation (MIA) with polyinosinic: polycytidylic acid (Poly I: C) administered intravenously on gestational day 14 as the first hit, and periodontitis in the offspring on late …