Olivocerebellar lesions in infants born prematurely.
Clinical and neuropathological studies of 15 prematurely born infants having neuronal loss and astrogliosis in the inferior olivary nucleus were made, comparing these 15 cases with gestational age-matched controls. There was a close relationship between lesions of the inferior olivary nuclei and the presence of cerebellar hemispheric lesions such as cerebellar hemorrhage or loss of Purkinje cells and astrogliosis of the cerebellar white matter. This focal or total olivary neuronal loss associated with gliosis of the inferior olivary nuclei may represent retrograde transsynaptic changes from the cerebellar hemisphere lesions in premature neonates cared for in intensive care units.
D002531:Cerebellum / Q000473:pathology*; D005911:Gliosis / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007235:Infant, Premature, Diseases / Q000473:pathology*; D009410:Nerve Degeneration; D009454:Neurofibrils / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009474:Neurons / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009847:Olivary Nucleus / Q000473:pathology*; D011175:Positive-Pressure Respiration / Q000009:adverse effects; D012127:Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Newborn / Q000473:pathology