New research from the University of Iowa and Cleveland University Hospitals Medical Center shows that children can be protected from the effects of prenatal stress by administering neuroprotective fertilizers during pregnancy. Working in a mouse model, Rachel Schroeder, a student in the UI Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Neo-Knowledge, drew a connection between the work of her two mentors, Hanna Stevens, MD, PhD, an associate professor of UI of mind and Ida P. Haller Chair of Child and Adolescent Psychology, and Andrew A. Pieper, MD, PhD, former UI faculty member, now Morley-Mather Chair of Neuropsychiatry at Case Western Reserve University and Person and Director of the Center for Neurotherapeutics at the Harrington Discovery Institute, Cleveland University Hospitals Medical Center.
Stevens’ lab examines the lasting effects of stress during pregnancy, which can lead to neuropsychiatric impairment in children during early life and as an adult. Pieper’s lab focuses on discovering neuroprotective therapies, for example with the pharmacologic agent used here, called P7C3-A20, which has previously been shown to protect the adult brain from injured. Schroeder spent time in both laboratories early in the graduate career and was encouraged to combine the two sets of studies in her own work, exploring the potential impact of P7C3-A20 in protecting the original brain during adverse events during pregnancy. Her work is the first to investigate the therapeutic potential of prenatal exposure to P7C3 compounds.
“Birth stress increases the risk of children having neurodevelopmental problems,” Schroeder said. “We wanted to find out if the P7C3-A20 fertilizer protected the primary brain from damage. Our results show that children are protected from the negative effects of stress when mothers are treated with P7C3 -A20 at the same time. ” The research was published online this week in the journal Antioxidants & Redox Signaling.
Previous work with Pieper’s Laboratory has shown that P7C3-A20 enables zero cells to maintain normal levels of energy molecules called nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD +), under toxic conditions or induced injuries another horrible and reducing energy for the cell. Schroeder’s research showed that prenatal stress in mice disrupted the embryonic brain’s NAD + -synthesis mechanism, which led to degeneration of nerve cell axons, learning deficits, and depression-like behavior when the children reached adulthood. Schroeder showed that when pregnant mice with wood weight were treated simultaneously with P7C3-A20, their children were protected from these negative effects.
“By stabilizing NAD + -producing diagnostic mechanisms, we allowed the original brain to develop as normal despite the stress,” Schroeder said. “While there are many challenges associated with taking medication during pregnancy, Rachel Schroeder’s discovery represents an interesting step forward in understanding how prenatal stress works. brain damage, and strategies for protecting the developing embryo, “said Pieper, who is also a psychiatrist at the Louis Stokes VA Medical Center in Cleveland.
This study represents an important proof of concept for a new approach to early prevention of neuropsychiatric disorders, Stevens said. “Neuropsychiatric disorders are the most common debilitating illnesses in young people, which means we need many more ways to protect the brain as it develops. Our laboratory is focusing on brain development techniques prenatally, a critical time when we could make a difference, “Stevens added. (ANI)
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