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Known as Oropouche virus, it can trigger a fever that may cause pregnant people to miscarry or their babies to have birth defects known as microcephaly, or smaller than usual heads.

That’s because an infection during pregnancy can cause microcephaly, which is when a baby's head is much smaller than expected, and other congenital malformations like limb contractures, high muscle tone, eye abnormalities, and hearing loss.

The team's finding suggests that maintaining the neuronal NMD function is essential for early brain development to prevent microcephaly.

"In many cases, animal models simply do not recapitulate either the characteristics or the degree of severity seen in human brain diseases such as microcephaly," Song said.

It's hoped the milestone findings will provide a deeper understanding into the protein's impact on healthy development and lead to treatments that can slow or stop the development of microcephaly and potentially other neurological disorders.