Effects of experimentally induced placental insufficiency on prenatal brain development

Abstract

In these studies we have examined the effects of chronic and acute placental insufficiency on brain development in experimental animal models (sheep and guinea pigs). The major effects of chronic placental insufficiency are a reduction in the growth of neuronal processes, in synaptogenesis and in myelination, events occurring largely in the second half of gestation. These factors could affect the development and function of neural circuity and lead to behavioral deficits postnatally. We have demonstrated that there is a differential vulnerability of neurons and their processes to acute placental insufficiency which appears to be related to gestational age with overall a more pronounced effec..