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Updated: May 22, 2026
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Published on: May 18, 2010
Perinatal cerebellar injury in human and animal models
Valerie Biran1, Catherine Verney, Donna M Ferriero
1Departments of Neurology and Pediatrics, Newborn Brain Institute, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA.
Insights
Cerebellar injury in preterm infants can lead to lasting neurodevelopmental issues. This review explores cerebellar development, preterm injuries, and their causes using animal models.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal neurology
- Developmental neuroscience
- Pediatric neurosurgery
Background:
- Cerebellar injury is a recognized complication of premature birth, impacting survivors with neurodevelopmental deficits.
- These deficits include motor impairments (incoordination, sequencing) and cognitive/behavioral issues in older children.
- The precise causes of cerebellar lesions in preterm infants remain unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review cerebellar morphogenesis and histogenesis in humans and rodents.
- To examine common cerebellar injuries in preterm infants.
- To analyze the pathogenesis of these injuries using animal models.
Main Methods:
- Review of cerebellar development (morphogenesis, histogenesis) in human and rodent models.
- Analysis of common preterm cerebellar injuries, including hemorrhage and infarction.
- Investigation of injury mechanisms (hypoxia, ischemia, infection, inflammation) via animal models.
Main Results:
- Cerebellar injury in preterm infants is linked to significant long-term neurodevelopmental deficits.
- Common lesions include cerebellar hemorrhage and infarction, potentially causing abnormalities and atrophy.
- Animal models implicate hypoxia, ischemia, infection, and inflammation as primary causes.
Conclusions:
- Cerebellar injury is a critical factor in preterm infant neurodevelopmental outcomes.
- Understanding injury mechanisms through animal models is crucial for developing preventative strategies.
- Further research is needed to elucidate the exact pathogenesis of cerebellar lesions in preterm birth.
Abstract:
Cerebellar injury is increasingly recognized through advanced neonatal brain imaging as a complication of premature birth. Survivors of preterm birth demonstrate a constellation of long-term neurodevelopmental deficits, many of which are potentially referable to cerebellar injury, including impaired motor functions such as fine motor incoordination, impaired motor sequencing and also cognitive, behavioral dysfunction among older patients. This paper reviews the morphogenesis and histogenesis of the human and rodent developing cerebellum, and its more frequent injuries in preterm. Most cerebellar lesions are cerebellar hemorrhage and infarction usually leading to cerebellar abnormalities and/or atrophy, but the exact pathogenesis of lesions of the cerebellum is unknown. The different mechanisms involved have been investigated with animal models and are primarily hypoxia, ischemia, infection, and inflammation Exposure to drugs and undernutrition can also induce cerebellar abnormalities. Different models are detailed to analyze these various disturbances of cerebellar development around birth.
