• C M Elitt and P A Rosenberg.
• Department of Neurology and the F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Program in Neuroscience, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
• Neuroscience. 2014 Sep 12; 276: 216-38.

AbstractWhite matter injury in the premature infant leads to motor and more commonly behavioral and cognitive problems that are a tremendous burden to society. While there has been much progress in understanding unique vulnerabilities of developing oligodendrocytes over the past 30years, there remain no proven therapies for the premature infant beyond supportive care. The lack of translational progress may be partially explained by the challenge of developing relevant animal models when the etiology remains unclear, as is the case in this disorder. There has been an emphasis on hypoxia-ischemia and infection/inflammation as upstream etiologies, but less consideration of other contributory factors. This review highlights the evolution of white matter pathology in the premature infant, discusses the prevailing proposed etiologies, critically analyzes a sampling of common animal models and provides detailed support for our hypothesis that nutritional and hormonal deprivation may be additional factors playing critical and overlooked roles in white matter pathology in the premature infant. Copyright © 2014 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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