Date Time
Share
Simple treatment during pregnancy can protect baby from memory problems in later life, study in rats suggests
A new study in laboratory rats has discovered a direct link between low oxygen in the womb and impaired memory function in the adult offspring. It also finds that anti-oxidant supplements during pregnancy may protect against this.
This study shows that we can use preventative medicine even before birth to protect long term brain health. Dino Giussani
Low oxygen in the womb – known as chronic fetal hypoxia – is one of the most common complications in human pregnancy. It can be diagnosed when a routine ultrasound scan shows that the baby is not growing properly and is caused by a number of conditions including pre-eclampsia, infection of the placenta, gestational diabetes or maternal obesity.
E-Mail
A new study in laboratory rats has discovered a direct link between low oxygen in the womb and impaired memory function in the adult offspring. It also finds that anti-oxidant supplements during pregnancy may protect against this.
Low oxygen in the womb - known as chronic fetal hypoxia - is one of the most common complications in human pregnancy. It can be diagnosed when a routine ultrasound scan shows that the baby is not growing properly and is caused by a number of conditions including pre-eclampsia, infection of the placenta, gestational diabetes or maternal obesity.
The new results show that chronic fetal hypoxia leads to a reduced density of blood vessels, and a reduced number of nerve cells and their connections in parts of the offspring s brain. When the offspring reaches adulthood, its ability to form lasting memories is reduced and there is evidence of accelerated brain ageing.
A study in rodents has uncovered a direct link between low oxygen in the uterus during pregnancy causing fetal hypoxia and impaired memory function in adult offspring. The research, carried out by a team at the University of Cambridge, found that chronic fetal hypoxia led to a reduced density of blood vessels, and a reduced number of nerve cells and their connections, in the hippocampus. Giving the mother antioxidant supplements in this study high levels of vitamin C during pregnancy protected the growing fetus from the harmful effects of low oxygen, and from hypoxia-related memory problems later in life.
“It’s hugely exciting to think we might be able to protect the brain health of an unborn child by a simple treatment that can be given to the mother during pregnancy,” said research lead Dino Giussani, PhD, from the University of Cambridge’s Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, who led the study. “In medicine today there has to be a shift in focus from