UCSF

Key PointsPerinatal brain injuries result from a spectrum of conditions, including neonatal encephalopathy, arterial ischaemic stroke, prematurity, and systemic infectionsDepending on the timing and context, inflammation can prime the brain for injury or exert protective actionsPattern recognition receptors, such as Toll-like receptors on innate immune cells (microglia, mast cells and macrophages), are important participants in the early phases of injury, and can increase CNS vulnerability (sensitization)Inflammation during preterm labour and intensive care of premature infants affects the very immature brain during critical phases of brain development, with serious consequences for myelination and cortical developmentUnderstanding the involvement of inflammation in perinatal brain injury can aid identification of new strategies for prevention and treatment that could reduce neurological and neuropsychiatric morbidities in maturing infants