Project description:Hypoxia-ischemia (HI) brain damage is one of the most common causes of neonatal brain injuries, amidst other conditions such as intrauterine infection and perinatal cerebral hemorrhage (Bracci et al., 2006). HI, occurring during the perinatal period, severely affects brain integrity resulting in detrimental long-term neurological morbidity in terms of motor, intellectual, educational and neuropsychological performance deficits (e.g. cerebral palsy, mental retardation, learning disability and epilepsy), and even neonatal mortality (Cowan et al., 2003; Ferriero, 2004; van Handel et al., 2007; Shalak and Perlman, 2004). Current therapeutic interventions fail to provide substantial reversal of HI brain injuries and improvement in overall cognitive function. Recent clinical studies demonstrated that post-HI hypothermia provide moderate neuroprotection but fail to show any significant reduction in neonatal morbidity and mortality (Shankaran et al., 2005). We would like to investigate the transcriptional effects of HI on neonatal brain, and if hypoxic pre-conditioning is beneficial to the reduction of brain damage.
Project description:Hypoxia-ischemia (HI) brain damage is one of the most common causes of neonatal brain injuries, amidst other conditions such as intrauterine infection and perinatal cerebral hemorrhage (Bracci et al., 2006). HI, occurring during the perinatal period, severely affects brain integrity resulting in detrimental long-term neurological morbidity in terms of motor, intellectual, educational and neuropsychological performance deficits (e.g. cerebral palsy, mental retardation, learning disability and epilepsy), and even neonatal mortality (Cowan et al., 2003; Ferriero, 2004; van Handel et al., 2007; Shalak and Perlman, 2004). Current therapeutic interventions fail to provide substantial reversal of HI brain injuries and improvement in overall cognitive function. Recent clinical studies demonstrated that post-HI hypothermia provide moderate neuroprotection but fail to show any significant reduction in neonatal morbidity and mortality (Shankaran et al., 2005). We would like to investigate the transcriptional effects of HI on neonatal brain, and if hypoxic pre-conditioning is beneficial to the reduction of brain damage.
