New Acid Reflux Drug Helps Newborn Babies Recover from Brain Injury

A potential way to prevent lack of oxygen or blood flow from causing long-lasting brain damage in newborn children has been discovered.

Targeting the histamine H2 receptor with medications used to treat acid reflux in infants could help newborns recover from hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). The study was published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine (JEM).

"However, very few drug targets capable of inducing oligodendrocyte formation have been identified," says Weiwei Hu, a professor at Zhejiang University School of Medicine in Hangzhou and the senior author of the new study.

Lower Heart Rate Variability Linked to Stressed Newborns
Lower heart rate variability was found to correlate with autonomic manifestations of stress shortly after birth in newborns with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE).

‘A potential way to prevent lack of oxygen or blood flow from causing long-lasting brain damage in newborn children has been discovered.’

Study Details

Histamine H2 receptor protein inhibits mature oligodendrocytes' formation capable of restoring the brain's white matter after injury.
Mice lacking the histamine H2 receptor recovered better from neonatal hypoxia-ischemia.
The mice regenerated more of their white matter and showed improved motor skills and cognitive function.
Treating mice with cimetidine improved the animals' recovery from hypoxia-ischemia.

"Given the present application of histamine H2 receptor blockers in preterm and full-term infants, our study suggests that they could also be a safe and effective treatment for neonatal HIE," Hu says.

Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE)

HIE is a condition that affects over 1 in 1,000 live births and can cause life-long neurological disabilities.
HIE develops during pregnancy or from complications during labor and delivery.
Premature infants at high risk of the disorder.
It causes severe and long-lasting neurological disabilities, namely cerebral palsy, epilepsy, and cognitive impairment.

Source-Medindia

Risk Assessment of Oxygen Deprived Infants is Better With Continuous EEG
Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy risk in newborns can be better assessed with continuous EEG monitoring

Test your Knowledge on Brain Injury
Injury to the head or brain can have a short-term as well as long-term effects. Trauma to the brain is common in young adults, as well as in the elderly due to falls. Besides trauma, other conditions like reduced oxygen supply to the brain or the presence of toxins can also injure the brain. Test your knowledge on brain injury by taking this quiz.

Cimetidine
This medication is a histamine H2-receptor antagonist, prescribed for heartburn and peptic ulcers.