Vulnerability of white matter to ischemia varies during development - Malta Medical Journal Volume 23 (2011); Issue 3

the Malta Medical Journal has a new website: visits on www.mmsjournals.org

this site will be kept as an archive of older issues

Volume 23, Issue 3 (go to table of contents)

Review Article

Vulnerability of white matter to ischemia varies during development

Christian Zammit, Richard Muscat, Giuseppe Di Giovanni, Massimo Pierucci, Mario Valentino

Malta Medical Journal, 2011: 3; 45

Stroke is the one of the leading causes of mortality and morbidity in developed countries. The central role of injury to white matter in the pathophysiology of stroke has been recognised over the recent years. Stroke can affect a wide range of the population (from the premature infant to the elderly) and therefore the mechanism of injury of central white matter may vary with age. The main aim of this review paper is to shed some light on the difference in maturation of injury to the axon-oligodendrocyte unit following an ischemic insult between different developmental stages. Both components of this unit exhibit varying degrees of susceptibility to ischemia throughout their development. Axons are particularly resistant to ischemia in the neonatal stage. However, they show a marked decreased in tolerance to ischemia during the period of myelination. Late oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPC) are the most sensitive type of oligodendrocyte, and their role in periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) is well known. On the other hand, early OPC are particularly resistant to ischemia. Studying the effect of ischemia on white matter in the brain during the different developmental stages will lead to a better understanding of the pathophysiology of white matter injury and hopefully, in the future, to the development of new therapeutic strategies of the various white matter diseases.

Keywords:

ischemia, axon, oligodendrocyte, development, neonatal brain injury

Full content in pdf

ABOUT THE JOURNAL - EDITORIAL MATTERS - INSTRUCTIONS TO AUTHORS - CONTACT THE MMJ

All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by other means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without prior permission, in writing, of the MMJ Editorial Board.

All articles published in the Malta Medical Journal, including editorials, represent the opinion of the authors and do not reflect the official policy of the University of Malta or the institution with which the author is affiliated, unless this is clearly specified. The appearance of advertising in the Journal is not a guarantee or endorsement of the product or the claims for the product by the manufacturer. The Editorial Board disclaims any responsibility or liability for non-compliance of advertising artwork to Regulatory Units.