title: Hypoxia-ischemia disrupts directed interactions within neonatal prefrontal-hippocampal networks.
abstract: Due to improved survival rates and outcome of human infants experiencing a hypoxic-ischemic episode, cognitive dysfunctions have become prominent. They might result from abnormal communication within prefrontal-hippocampal networks, as synchrony and directed interactions between the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus account for mnemonic and executive performance. Here, we elucidate the structural and functional impact of hypoxic-ischemic events on developing prefrontal-hippocampal networks in an immature rat model of injury. The magnitude of infarction, cell loss and astrogliosis revealed that an early hypoxic-ischemic episode had either a severe or a mild/moderate outcome. Without affecting the gross morphology, hypoxia-ischemia with mild/moderate outcome diminished prefrontal neuronal firing and gamma network entrainment. This dysfunction resulted from decreased coupling synchrony within prefrontal-hippocampal networks and disruption of hippocampal theta drive. Thus, early hypoxia-ischemia may alter the functional maturation of neuronal networks involved in cognitive processing by disturbing the communication between the neonatal prefrontal cortex and hippocampus.
authors.affiliation: Developmental Neurophysiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Marco D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Brockmann
authors.affiliation: Developmental Neurophysiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Maja
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kukovic
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroradiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schönfeld
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroradiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sedlacik
authors.affiliation: Developmental Neurophysiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Ileana L
authors.initials: IL
authors.lastname: Hanganu-Opatz
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D058256:Brain Waves; D003071:Cognition; D056324:Diffusion Tensor Imaging; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D020925:Hypoxia-Ischemia, Brain / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D009474:Neurons / Q000473:pathology*; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012018:Reflex