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Author Spotlight: Modeling an Aspect of Preeclampsia in Female Mice Using Hypoxic Human Placenta-Derived Small Extracellular Vesicles
Published on: January 26, 2024
Long-term cerebral white and gray matter changes after preeclampsia
Timo Siepmann1, Henry Boardman1, Amy Bilderbeck1
1From the Radcliffe Department of Medicine (T.S., H.B., Y.K., C.Z., J.F., S.N., A.J.L., P.L.), Department of Psychiatry (A.B.), Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences (L.G.), Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences (Y.B.S.), and Department of Cardiology (G.Z.Y.), University of Oxford; Department of Radiology (D.M.), Stoke Mandeville Hospital, Aylesbury, UK; and Department of Neurology (T.S.), University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
Preeclampsia survivors show lasting brain changes, including reduced gray matter volume and temporal lobe white matter disease, years after pregnancy. These changes worsen over time and are independent of cardiovascular risk factors.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Obstetrics
- Cardiology
Background:
- Preeclampsia is a pregnancy complication linked to increased long-term cerebrovascular risk.
- The underlying cerebral structural changes contributing to this risk are not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether structural brain changes persist years after preeclampsia.
- To determine if these changes correlate with increased cerebrovascular risk.
Main Methods:
- A case-control study comparing women 5-15 years post-preeclamptic or normotensive pregnancy.
- Brain MRI including fluid-attenuation inversion recovery (FLAIR) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI).
- Analysis of white matter lesion volume, microstructural integrity, and gray matter volume.
Main Results:
- Previously preeclamptic women exhibited reduced cortical gray matter volume.
- Increased white matter lesion volume and altered microstructural integrity were observed in the temporal lobes, extending to occipital and parietal regions.
- The severity of temporal lobe white matter changes correlated with the time elapsed since the preeclamptic pregnancy and was independent of current cardiovascular risk.
Conclusions:
- A history of preeclampsia is associated with persistent temporal lobe white matter abnormalities and reduced cortical volume in women.
- These cerebral changes appear to accumulate over time post-pregnancy.
- The findings suggest a direct link between preeclampsia and long-term neurological alterations beyond traditional cardiovascular risk factors.
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