Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 30, 2026
Modeling Encephalopathy of Prematurity Using Prenatal Hypoxia-ischemia with Intra-amniotic Lipopolysaccharide in Rats
Published on: November 20, 2015
Perinatal biomarkers in prematurity: early identification of neurologic injury
Maria Andrikopoulou1, Ahmad Almalki1, Azadeh Farzin2
1Integrated Research Center for Fetal Medicine, Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States.
Insights
Biomarkers aid in early diagnosis of neonatal brain injury in premature infants. This review explores biomarkers for intraventricular hemorrhage, periventricular leukomalacia, and posthemorrhagic hydrocephalus.
Area of Science:
- Perinatal medicine
- Neonatology
- Neurology
Background:
- Biomarkers are crucial non-invasive tools for diagnosing and managing clinical conditions.
- Improved survival of extremely premature infants necessitates better methods for detecting neonatal brain injury.
- Early identification of brain damage allows timely intervention and monitoring of treatment efficacy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review potential perinatal biomarkers for neurologic complications in premature infants.
- To focus on biomarkers for intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH), periventricular leukomalacia (PVL), and posthemorrhagic hydrocephalus (PHH).
- To evaluate insights from animal models on the pathogenesis of perinatal brain injury.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of perinatal biomarkers.
- Analysis of studies on neonatal brain injury in premature infants.
- Examination of animal model data on perinatal brain injury.
Main Results:
- Biomarkers show promise for early detection of neonatal brain injury.
- Specific biomarkers are being investigated for IVH, PVL, and PHH.
- Animal models provide valuable information on injury mechanisms.
Conclusions:
- Biomarkers are essential for improving outcomes in premature infants with brain injury.
- Further research is needed to validate and implement these biomarkers in clinical practice.
- Understanding pathogenesis through animal models aids biomarker discovery.
Abstract:
Over the past few decades, biomarkers have become increasingly utilized as non-invasive tools in the early diagnosis and management of various clinical conditions. In perinatal medicine, the improved survival of extremely premature infants who are at high risk for adverse neurologic outcomes has increased the demand for the discovery of biomarkers in detecting and predicting the prognosis of infants with neonatal brain injury. By enabling the clinician to recognize potential brain damage early, biomarkers could allow clinicians to intervene at the early stages of disease, and to monitor the efficacy of those interventions. This review will first examine the potential perinatal biomarkers for neurologic complications of prematurity, specifically, intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH), periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) and posthemorrhagic hydrocephalus (PHH). It will also evaluate knowledge gained from animal models regarding the pathogenesis of perinatal brain injury in prematurity.
