Throughout our lives, we are exposed to a variety of hazards, such as environmental pollutants and chemical substances that affect our health, and viruses and bacteria that cause infectious diseases. These external factors that are undesirable to an organism are called environmental stress. During the perinatal period, when neural networks are drastically reorganized and refined, the tolerance of the developing brain to various environmental stresses is lower than in adulthood. Thus, exposure to environmental stress during this vulnerable period is strongly associated with cognitive and behavioral deficits in later life. Recent studies have uncovered various mechanisms underlying the adverse impacts of environmental stress during the perinatal period on brain development. In this mini-review, we will present the findings from these studies, focusing on caspase-mediated apoptotic and non-apoptotic effects of environmental stress, and discuss several compounds that mitigate these caspase-mediated effects as examples of potential therapeutic approaches.

The Author(s). Published by S. Karger AG, Basel