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Functional impairment of the brainstem in infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia

Andrew R Wilkinson1, Dorothea M Brosi, Ze D Jiang

  • 1Neonatal Unit, Department of Paediatrics, John Radcliffe Hospital, Headington, Oxford OX3 9DU, United Kingdom.

Pediatrics
|August 3, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia show impaired brainstem function, indicated by delayed brainstem auditory evoked responses. This suggests poor myelination and synaptic function in the developing brain.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Neonatal Medicine
  • Developmental Pediatrics

Background:

  • Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a chronic lung disease affecting preterm infants.
  • The impact of BPD on immature brain development, particularly brainstem function, requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the functional integrity of the brainstem in infants diagnosed with bronchopulmonary dysplasia.
  • To identify specific abnormalities in brainstem auditory evoked responses (BAER) associated with BPD.

Main Methods:

  • Studied 41 very preterm infants with BPD at 37-42 weeks postconceptional age.
  • Utilized maximal length sequence technique to record and analyze brainstem auditory evoked responses.
  • Compared findings with term and healthy very preterm control groups.

Main Results:

  • Infants with BPD exhibited significantly increased wave V latency and I-V, III-V interpeak intervals in BAER compared to controls.
  • Abnormalities worsened with increasing click rates, indicating impaired neural processing.
  • Steeper latency-rate functions for wave V, I-V, and III-V intervals suggest delayed myelination and synaptic function.

Conclusions:

  • Bronchopulmonary dysplasia is associated with impaired functional integrity of the brainstem.
  • Findings suggest poor myelination and synaptic function in the brainstem of infants with BPD.
  • Peripheral neural function appears relatively preserved in these infants.
Abstract

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