Researchers Target New Brain Damage Intervention Strategy for Newborns

A new study suggests a potential way to treat hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, or HIE, in newborns. Caused by a lack of oxygen or blood flow to a baby’s brain during labor or delivery, HIE may result in catastrophic brain damage that can lead to permanent disabilities or conditions such as cerebral palsy. HIE is a common cause of disability in newborns, and thus important for scientists to study the condition and develop treatment options.

Since the 1960s, hypothermia therapy (cooling the baby’s internal temperature) has been the standard of care to treat HIE. Cooling intends to slow brain damage by reducing the metabolic rate, which reduces the body’s demand for oxygen. Since the brain is the organ that requires the most oxygen for proper functioning, it is the most susceptible to injury.

Now, researchers from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital published their findings related to HIE treatment in the medical journal Pediatric Research. They note that the standard of care for HIE, hypothermia, does not cure the baby of brain damage it sustained during labor or delivery. The researchers are studying lipid rafts, which are parts of cell membranes that send signals to the brain. Lipid rafts play a major role in the development of the brain. Researchers suggest that these lipid rafts may be the target for a more effective treatment in reversing brain damage caused by HIE. Taking it a step further, the researchers also suggest that the introduction of choline, a nutrient found in foods such as egg yolks and helps brain and lipid raft development, may also aid as a possible intervention strategy.

Discuss Your Unique Situation With a Birth Injury Attorney From Our Firm

If you believe your child has suffered an HIE injury, our birth injury lawyers may be able to help you. Call our birth injury attorneys today to discuss your situation.