Inflammation before birth causes long-term brain harm
By Rob Clancy, staff writer. Reviewed by Associate Professor Courtney McDonald
The impact of inflammation on a child born preterm can be life-changing and now, for the first time, researchers have confirmed that the inflammation itself, and the damage it causes, lasts until a few months after birth.
A team from Hudson Institute of Medical Research is the first to establish tertiary inflammation – that is, inflammation that persists beyond the initial exposure (primary) and even the following days and weeks (secondary).
They have developed a pre-clinical model that confirms the lingering presence of inflammation – and the damage it causes to the brain – long after the original exposure.
PhD student Dr Abdul Razak from the Cell Therapies and Neuroinflammation Research group in The Ritchie Centre was supervised by Associate Professor Courtney McDonald, and their findings have been published in the journal Experimental Neurology.
Dr Razak said one in 10 babies is born preterm and up to 70 per cent of those births are linked to prenatal inflammation, which has long lasting impacts, such as cerebral palsy.
Preterm birth and brain injury
A/Prof McDonald said previous human studies suggested that ongoing inflammation could be detected in the blood: “But this is the first time we have shown in a preclinical model that closely mimics human brain development that the brain itself also has ongoing inflammation,” she said.
“We discovered that brief inflammation during the preterm period can cause lasting brain injury, including ongoing immune activation, loss of support cells, and reduced myelination – changes which mirror human neurodevelopmental disorders.” Said Dr Razak
“Our model shows injury to the white matter of the brain associated with persistent inflammation, but unfortunately there are no current therapies targeting inflammation-induced injury in the womb,” he said.
“These findings will enable the testing of delayed therapies for brain injury that show up months after preterm birth and will help researchers explore long-term behavioral deficits after preterm inflammation.”
“This research provides a clinically relevant model to test therapies that could prevent or reduce this injury, with the goal of improving long-term outcomes for these babies,” Dr Razak said.
Preterm Birth Facts
- A full-term pregnancy lasts around 40 weeks, usually between 38- and 42-weeks’ gestation.
- A preterm baby is born before 37 weeks and often has more health problems than a full-term baby.
- The World Health Organization describes the degree of prematurity as late moderate to late preterm (32-37 weeks and most common), very preterm (28-32 weeks) or extremely preterm (less than 28 weeks).
- Globally about 15 million babies – up to one in ten – are born preterm each year and this rate is increasing.
- Most preterm babies can develop normally but may be at increased risk of developmental problems.
- Long-term effects can include growth, movement, vision, hearing, social and emotional problems, cerebral palsy, language delays, dental problems, thinking and learning difficulties and chronic conditions such as asthma.
This research was supported by | Inner Wheel Australia, MRFF, Monash University, Australian Lions Cord Blood Foundation & The Royal Australian College of Physicians
Journal | Experimental Neurology
Title | Persistent inflammation and white matter damage in the preterm brain: Insights from a novel ovine model of chronic inflammation
View publication | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.expneurol.2025.115397
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