Neurotrophin Expression in Infants as a Predictor of Respiratory and Neurodevelopmental Outcomes
Status
Conditions
Details and patient eligibility
About
Important developmental processes continue until the completion of 40 weeks gestation. Even during fetal life, intrinsic and environmental factors determine the balance between health and the onset and development of diseases. Thus, it is crucial to understand the mechanisms that regulate normal development and the pathways that contribute to disease pathogenesis.
Neurotrophins are a family of four proteins that support the growth and survival of neurons. Their secretion increases during brain development, when new neurons are being formed and existing ones are branching to assemble complex neuronal circuits. In addition to their role in promoting neuron growth and development, neurotrophins are also a product of neuronal activity. Neurotrophins are also responsible for the maintenance of peripheral sensory neurons, including those in the lungs. Airway innervation is responsible for many aspects of lung function including the regulation of airway smooth muscle tone, mucus secretion, and reactivity; therefore, a physiological expression of neurotrophins in the lungs is required for normal lung function.
Full description
Currently, there is no reliable method to identify infants who will have poor neurodevelopmental and respiratory outcomes. The ability to make such predictions would be beneficial for both making care decisions in the neonatal intensive care unit and for identifying infants who require earlier and more intense intervention. We intend to determine if neurotrophins can be utilized to predict an infant's long-term outcomes. Neurotrophins are a family of four proteins that support the growth and survival of neurons. Their levels have been shown to increase with brain development and decrease with brain injury. Neurotrophins have also been associated with development of airway injury in the neonate and later respiratory disease such as asthma. We plan to correlate serum neurotrophin levels with respiratory outcomes and neurological outcomes.
Enrollment
Sex
Ages
Volunteers
Inclusion criteria
intubated infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)
Exclusion criteria
unwilling or unable to give or obtain informed consent
Trial contacts and locations
Loading...
Data sourced from clinicaltrials.gov
Clinical trials
Research sites
Resources
Legal