The researchers, including one of Indian descent, found that an early blood test could detect which babies deprived of oxygen at birth are at risk for serious neurological disabilities, such as cerebral palsy and epilepsy.
The prototype test looks for the activation and deactivation of certain genes that are related to long-term neurological problems. According to the study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, further research into these genes may provide new targets for treating brain damage before it becomes permanent.
“The results of blood tests will allow us to obtain more information about the disease mechanisms that are responsible for brain injury and will allow us to develop new therapeutic interventions or improve those that are already available,” said lead author Sudhin Thayyil of Imperial College London (ICL) in the United Kingdom.
The team behind the trial, led by ICL, in collaboration with groups in India, Italy, and the US, conducted the study in Indian hospitals, where there are about 0.5-1.0 million cases of birth asphyxiation (oxygen deprivation ) by year. Babies can experience oxygen deprivation at birth for various reasons, including when the mother has too little oxygen in the blood, infection, or complications with the umbilical cord during birth.
After oxygen deprivation at birth, brain injury can develop for hours or months and affect different regions of the brain, resulting in a variety of possible neurological disabilities, such as cerebral palsy, epilepsy, deafness, or blindness. This makes it difficult to determine which babies are most at risk for complications and to design interventions that can prevent the worst outcomes.
Now, in a preliminary study of 45 babies who experienced oxygen deprivation at birth, researchers have identified changes in a number of genes in their blood that could identify those who develop neuro-disabilities.
Babies had blood drawn within six hours after birth and were followed up after 18 months to see which ones had developed neuro disabilities. Blood was examined with next-generation sequencing to determine any differences in gene expression (the “on or off” of genes) between babies who developed neuro-disabilities and those who did not.
The team found that 855 genes were expressed differently between the two groups, and two showed the most significant difference. Examining these two genes in particular, and what processes cause their expression within cells, could lead to a deeper understanding of the causes of neurological disabilities caused by oxygen deprivation, and potentially how to interrupt them, improving results, according to the study.
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