Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 17, 2026
Author Spotlight: Modeling an Aspect of Preeclampsia in Female Mice Using Hypoxic Human Placenta-Derived Small Extracellular Vesicles
Published on: January 26, 2024
Impacts of Preeclampsia on the Brain of the Offspring
Frances Dang1, B Anne Croy1, Patrick W Stroman2
1Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada.
Insights
Preeclampsia (PE) in pregnancy can affect offspring
Area of Science:
- Obstetrics and Gynecology
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Biology
Background:
- Preeclampsia (PE) affects 3-5% of pregnancies, posing lifelong health risks for mothers and offspring.
- Offspring of PE pregnancies (PE-F1) exhibit increased risks for hypertension, stroke, and cognitive impairment.
- PE is associated with placental growth factor (PGF) deficits, impacting fetal development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the long-term cerebrovascular and neurological effects of PE on offspring.
- To test the hypothesis that PGF deficits in PE lead to impaired cognitive function and increased stroke risk in offspring.
- To analyze initial outcomes from a pilot study on PE-F1s and matched controls.
Main Methods:
- Pilot study involving 8-10-year-old male and female PE-F1s and controls.
- Utilized magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetic resonance angiography (MRA).
- Assessed functional brain regions via eye movement control and clinical psychometric testing.
Main Results:
- Initial analytical outcomes from the pilot study are summarized.
- The study reports the first use of MRI, MRA, and functional brain assessments in PE-F1s.
- Data suggests potential alterations in cerebrovascular and neurological development in PE-F1s.
Conclusions:
- Preeclampsia-related PGF deficits may deviate fetal cerebrovascular and neurological development.
- Further large-cohort studies are needed to identify image-based biomarkers for PE-F1s.
- Understanding these developmental impacts is crucial for mitigating lifelong health risks associated with PE.
Abstract:
Preeclampsia (PE) is a significant gestational disorder that causes complications in 3-5% of all human pregnancies. Apart from the immediate risks and complications for mother and fetus, both additionally carry elevated lifelong risks for specific complications. Offspring of PE pregnancies (PE-F1) have higher risks for hypertension, stroke and cognitive impairment compared with well-matched offspring (F1) from uncomplicated pregnancies. Prior to the clinical onset of PE, placental angiokines secreted into the maternal plasma are deviated. In many PE patients this includes deficits in placental growth factor (PGF). Our laboratory found that mice genetically-deleted for PGF (PGF - / - ) have altered cerebrovascular and brain neurological development detectable from midgestation to adulthood. We hypothesized that the PGF deficits seen in human PE, deviate fetal cerebrovascular and neurological development in a manner that impairs cognitive functions and elevates stroke risk. Here we summarize the initial analytical outcomes from a pilot study of 8-10 year old male and female PE-F1s and matched controls. Our studies were the first to report magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) and functional brain region assessment by eye movement control and clinical psychometric testing in PE-F1s. Further studies in larger cohorts are essential to define whether there are image-based biomarkers that describe unique anatomical features in PE-F1 brains.
