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The fetal brainstem is relatively spared from injury following intrauterine hypoxemia.
- Source :
-
Brain research. Developmental brain research [Brain Res Dev Brain Res] 2003 Jun 12; Vol. 143 (1), pp. 73-81. - Publication Year :
- 2003
-
Abstract
- Our aim was to test the hypothesis that the fetal brainstem is relatively spared, compared to other brain regions, from hypoxia-induced damage. We have used established experimental models of acute and chronic intrauterine compromise in sheep to mimic conditions that can arise in human pregnancy. The acute insult was 12 h of placental insufficiency induced by restricted utero-placental blood flow at 90 days of gestation (term approximately 147 days). Five weeks after this insult (n=7 fetuses) there was no overt damage to the brainstem nor were there alterations to the blood vessel morphology, volume of the medulla or of medullary nuclei compared to controls (n=8). This regimen is known to have significant effects on the forebrain and cerebellum. The chronic insult was induced in five fetuses via embolisation of the umbilico-placental circulation from 120 to 140 days of gestation. An additional three fetuses were found to be spontaneously hypoxemic (SH) immediately after surgery. At 140 days, in brainstems of all chronically hypoxemic fetuses compared to controls (n=8), there was an increase (P<0.05) in the percentage of neuropil occupied by blood vessels and abnormal myelin in the most severely SH fetus but no other morphological or neurochemical alterations. This regimen is known to cause marked damage to the cerebral hemispheres and to a lesser extent to the cerebellum. We suggest that the absence of marked structural or neurochemical alterations in the brainstem is most likely due to the maintenance of oxygen delivery to the brainstem during fetal hypoxemia.
- Subjects :
- Animals
Brain Stem embryology
Brain Stem injuries
Brain Stem physiopathology
Cerebellum metabolism
Cerebellum pathology
Cerebellum physiopathology
Cerebral Cortex metabolism
Cerebral Cortex pathology
Cerebral Cortex physiopathology
Female
Fetus physiopathology
Fetus ultrastructure
Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein metabolism
Hypoxia embryology
Hypoxia pathology
Immunohistochemistry
Male
Myelin Basic Protein metabolism
Myelin Basic Protein ultrastructure
Nitric Oxide Synthase genetics
Nitric Oxide Synthase metabolism
Nitric Oxide Synthase Type I
Pregnancy
Pyramidal Tracts metabolism
Pyramidal Tracts pathology
Pyramidal Tracts ultrastructure
Sheep
Synaptophysin metabolism
Brain Stem metabolism
Fetus metabolism
Hypoxia metabolism
Hypoxia physiopathology
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 0165-3806
- Volume :
- 143
- Issue :
- 1
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Brain research. Developmental brain research
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 12763582
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1016/s0165-3806(03)00103-2