Perinatal infection, inflammation, preterm birth, and brain injury: A review with proposals for future investigations

Jonathan D Reiss; Laura S Peterson; Sophia N Nesamoney; Alan L Chang; Anca M Pasca; Ivana Marić; Gary M Shaw; Brice Gaudilliere; Ronald J Wong; Karl G Sylvester; Sonia L Bonifacio; Nima Aghaeepour; Ronald S Gibbs; David K Stevenson

doi:10.1016/j.expneurol.2022.113988

Perinatal infection, inflammation, preterm birth, and brain injury: A review with proposals for future investigations

Exp Neurol. 2022 May:351:113988. doi: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2022.113988. Epub 2022 Jan 23.

Affiliations

¹ Division of Neonatal and Developmental Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
² Stanford University, Stanford, CA.
³ Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
⁴ Division of Neonatal and Developmental Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA; Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
⁵ Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
⁶ Division of Neonatal and Developmental Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA; Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA; Department of Biomedical Informatics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
⁷ Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
⁸ Division of Neonatal and Developmental Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA. Electronic address: dstevenson@stanford.edu.

PMID: 35081400
DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2022.113988

Abstract

Preterm newborns are exposed to several risk factors for developing brain injury. Clinical studies have suggested that the presence of intrauterine infection is a consistent risk factor for preterm birth and white matter injury. Animal models have confirmed these associations by identifying inflammatory cascades originating at the maternofetal interface that penetrate the fetal blood-brain barrier and result in brain injury. Acquired diseases of prematurity further potentiate the risk for cerebral injury. Systems biology approaches incorporating ante- and post-natal risk factors and analyzing omic and multiomic data using machine learning are promising methodologies for further elucidating biologic mechanisms of fetal and neonatal brain injury.

Keywords: Brain Injury; Intrauterine Infection; Machine Learning; Metabolomics; Multiomics; Perinatal Infection; Perinatal Inflammation; Preterm Birth; Systems Biology; White Matter Injury.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Review

MeSH terms

Animals
Brain Injuries* / etiology
Female
Fetus
Humans
Infant, Newborn
Inflammation
Pregnancy
Premature Birth*