Poor outcome after hypoxia-ischemia in newborns is associated with physiological abnormalities during early recovery

"Secondary hypoxia/ischemia" (i.e. regional impairment of oxygen and substrate delivery) results in secondary deterioration after traumatic brain injury in adults as well as in children and infants. However, detailed analysis regarding critical physiological abnormalities resulting from hypoxia/ischemia in the immature brain, e.g. acid-base-status, serum glucose levels and brain temperature, and their influence on outcome, are only available from non-traumatic experimental models. In recent studies on hypoxic/asphyxic cardiac arrest in neonatal piglets, we were able to predict short-term outcome using specific physiologic abnormalities immediately after the insult. Severe acidosis, low seru…

Neurodegeneration in excitotoxicity, global cerebral ischemia, and target deprivation: A perspective on the contributions of apoptosis and necrosis.

In the human brain and spinal cord, neurons degenerate after acute insults (e.g., stroke, cardiac arrest, trauma) and during progressive, adult-onset diseases [e.g., amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease]. Glutamate receptor-mediated excitotoxicity has been implicated in all of these neurological conditions. Nevertheless, effective approaches to prevent or limit neuronal damage in these disorders remain elusive, primarily because of an incomplete understanding of the mechanisms of neuronal death in in vivo settings. Therefore, animal models of neurodegeneration are crucial for improving our understanding of the mechanisms of neuronal death. In this review, we evaluate experimen…

Hypoxia-Ischemia in Newborn Piglets Produces Early Defects in Striatal High-Affinity Glutamate Uptake

Failure to Sustain Recovery of Na,K ATPase Function Is a Possible Mechanism for Striatal Neuron Necrosis in Hypoxic-Ischemic Newborn Piglets

Failure to Sustain Recovery of Na,K ATPase Function Is a Possible Mechanism for Striatal Neuron Necrosis in Hypoxic-Ischemic Newborn Piglets