School of Medicine and Health Sciences Poster Presentations
Allopregnanolone Treatment for Diffuse White Matter Injury in the Preterm Cerebellum
Poster Number
276
Document Type
Poster
Publication Date
3-2016
Abstract
Diffuse white matter injury (DWMI) is observed in the majority of premature birth survivors who have neurological impairments. One factor in this injury may be the abrupt early loss of exposure to important placental hormones, especially when combined with hypoxia, inflammation and other insults. We used an animal model of preterm DWMI induced by postnatal chronic hypoxia to investigate the effects of allopregnanolone (ALLO), a neuroactive hormone made in the placenta and then the brain, on the cerebellar white matter. Specifically, we used ALLO to study the cellular mechanisms underlying DWMI and to test its potential in treating hypoxia-induced DWMI. ALLO did not recover cerebellum volume or white matter cerebellum volume, but ALLO-treated hypoxic animals demonstrated improved cerebellar function compared to hypoxic controls. ALLO remains as a potential therapeutic agent for preterm brain injury, but additional work is needed to fully understand its mechanistic actions and to optimize its course of treatment.
Creative Commons License
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Open Access
1
Allopregnanolone Treatment for Diffuse White Matter Injury in the Preterm Cerebellum
Diffuse white matter injury (DWMI) is observed in the majority of premature birth survivors who have neurological impairments. One factor in this injury may be the abrupt early loss of exposure to important placental hormones, especially when combined with hypoxia, inflammation and other insults. We used an animal model of preterm DWMI induced by postnatal chronic hypoxia to investigate the effects of allopregnanolone (ALLO), a neuroactive hormone made in the placenta and then the brain, on the cerebellar white matter. Specifically, we used ALLO to study the cellular mechanisms underlying DWMI and to test its potential in treating hypoxia-induced DWMI. ALLO did not recover cerebellum volume or white matter cerebellum volume, but ALLO-treated hypoxic animals demonstrated improved cerebellar function compared to hypoxic controls. ALLO remains as a potential therapeutic agent for preterm brain injury, but additional work is needed to fully understand its mechanistic actions and to optimize its course of treatment.
Comments
Presented at: GW Research Days 2016