Neuroprotection strategies for the newborn

Perinatal brain injury is the leading cause of death and disability in children. Such damage can be induced by multiple factors, varies in severity between individuals, affects infants of different genetic backgrounds, and occurs at various stages of the physiological developmental program. This complexity creates innumerable difficulties in creating therapeutic agents. A wealth of experimental studies has engaged in the understanding of brain injury pathophysiology and in the development of strategies that may be beneficial for the neurological outcome of infants. Clinical trials have demonstrated the partial neuroprotective effects of hypothermia and magnesium sulfate in human neonates. Trials for the neuroprotective effects of the pluripotent hormone melatonin are ongoing. In the following chapter we review the experimental and clinical data on neuroprotective strategies