TY - JOUR
T1 - Emergent prophylactic, reparative and restorative brain interventions for infants born preterm with cerebral palsy
AU - Finch-Edmondson, Megan
AU - Morgan, Catherine
AU - Hunt, Rod W.
AU - Novak, Iona
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2007 - 2019 Frontiers Media S.A. All Rights Reserved.
Copyright:
Copyright 2020 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2019/1/28
Y1 - 2019/1/28
N2 - Worldwide, an estimated 15 million babies are born preterm (<37 weeks' gestation) every year. Despite significant improvements in survival rates, preterm infants often face a lifetime of neurodevelopmental disability including cognitive, behavioral, and motor impairments. Indeed, prematurity remains the largest risk factor for the development of cerebral palsy. The developing brain of the preterm infant is particularly fragile; preterm babies exhibit varying severities of cerebral palsy arising from reductions in both cerebral white and gray matter volumes, as well as altered brain microstructure and connectivity. Current intensive care therapies aim to optimize cardiovascular and respiratory function to protect the brain from injury by preserving oxygenation and blood flow. If a brain injury does occur, definitive diagnosis of cerebral palsy in the first few hours and weeks of life is difficult, especially when the lesions are subtle and not apparent on cranial ultrasound. However, early diagnosis of mildly affected infants is critical, because these are the patients most likely to respond to emergent treatments inducing neuroplasticity via high-intensity motor training programs and regenerative therapies involving stem cells. A current controversy is whether to test universal treatment in all infants at risk of brain injury, accepting that some patients never required treatment, because the perceived potential benefits outweigh the risk of harm. Versus, waiting for a diagnosis before commencing targeted treatment for infants with a brain injury, and potentially missing the therapeutic window. In this review, we discuss the emerging prophylactic, reparative, and restorative brain interventions for infants born preterm, who are at high risk of developing cerebral palsy. We examine the current evidence, considering the timing of the intervention with relation to the proposed mechanism/s of action. Finally, we consider the development of novel markers of preterm brain injury, which will undoubtedly lead to improved diagnostic and prognostic capability, and more accurate instruments to assess the efficacy of emerging interventions for this most vulnerable group of infants.
AB - Worldwide, an estimated 15 million babies are born preterm (<37 weeks' gestation) every year. Despite significant improvements in survival rates, preterm infants often face a lifetime of neurodevelopmental disability including cognitive, behavioral, and motor impairments. Indeed, prematurity remains the largest risk factor for the development of cerebral palsy. The developing brain of the preterm infant is particularly fragile; preterm babies exhibit varying severities of cerebral palsy arising from reductions in both cerebral white and gray matter volumes, as well as altered brain microstructure and connectivity. Current intensive care therapies aim to optimize cardiovascular and respiratory function to protect the brain from injury by preserving oxygenation and blood flow. If a brain injury does occur, definitive diagnosis of cerebral palsy in the first few hours and weeks of life is difficult, especially when the lesions are subtle and not apparent on cranial ultrasound. However, early diagnosis of mildly affected infants is critical, because these are the patients most likely to respond to emergent treatments inducing neuroplasticity via high-intensity motor training programs and regenerative therapies involving stem cells. A current controversy is whether to test universal treatment in all infants at risk of brain injury, accepting that some patients never required treatment, because the perceived potential benefits outweigh the risk of harm. Versus, waiting for a diagnosis before commencing targeted treatment for infants with a brain injury, and potentially missing the therapeutic window. In this review, we discuss the emerging prophylactic, reparative, and restorative brain interventions for infants born preterm, who are at high risk of developing cerebral palsy. We examine the current evidence, considering the timing of the intervention with relation to the proposed mechanism/s of action. Finally, we consider the development of novel markers of preterm brain injury, which will undoubtedly lead to improved diagnostic and prognostic capability, and more accurate instruments to assess the efficacy of emerging interventions for this most vulnerable group of infants.
KW - Brain injury
KW - Cerebral palsy
KW - Neuro-regeneration
KW - Neuro-repair
KW - Neuroplasticity
KW - Neuroprotection
KW - Preterm
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85065483816&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3389/fphys.2019.00015
DO - 10.3389/fphys.2019.00015
M3 - Article
C2 - 30745876
AN - SCOPUS:85065483816
SN - 1664-042X
VL - 10
JO - Frontiers in Physiology
JF - Frontiers in Physiology
IS - 1
M1 - 15
ER -