View clinical trials related to White Matter Injury.
Filter by:At 34 weeks, the brain weight of preterm infants is only 65% that of term infants, and the cortex volume is 53% that of term infants. Damage at this stage of development will also change the trajectory of specific processes in the development of neurons and glial cells, resulting in neurological dysfunction in survivors.The incidence of cerebral palsy in late preterm infants is three times higher than in term infants, and about 25% lag behind term infants in learning, language and other neurodevelopment. At 34-37 weeks of gestation, oligodendrocytes are still late oligodendrocyte precursors and vascular development of the white matter area is immature, making the brain more prone to white matter injury (WMI).
To date, few studies have been done regarding nutrition supplementation in infants with brain injury. Therefore, the investigators are proposing to study the effects of protein supplementation in this group of babies. The investigators will recruit 24 infants with brain injury (evidence of hemorrhage, white matter injury, or gray matter injury) admitted to the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) into the study. Upon diagnosis, the investigators will obtain consent from the parents for participation in the study, then randomly assign the baby to one of two groups - an increased protein group and a control group. Both groups of infants will be monitored to ensure no adverse effects occur due to the supplementation. Protein supplementation will continue for the first 12 months of age. Growth parameters, such as weight, length, and head circumference, will be measured while the infant is the NICU. Head circumference will be measured in the investigators outpatient clinic at three, six, and 12 months of age. At 18-22 months, the infants will be tested for neurodevelopmental outcomes using the Bayley Scales of Infant Development. The investigators hypothesize that infants who receive the additional protein will demonstrate increased head growth and improved neurodevelopmental outcomes.