Funding outcome

Neonatal hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (nHI) is a severe acute brain injury caused by a lack of blood flow and oxygen. The lack of oxygen causing this brain injury can occur before, during or after birth and affects 1.7 out of 1000 births. nHI is associated with severe outcomes such as seizures, cerebral palsy and death. These negative outcomes; however, can potentially be improved by capitalizing on a 72 hour window following initial injury where the condition can worsen due to inflammation, excitotoxicity, and oxidative stress. Current treatments for nHI include therapeutic hypothermia, supportive treatment (ventilation), and medications to treat symptoms such as seizures. We aim to improve outcomes through alterations to diet content ultimately affecting metabolism. Using the ketogenic diet which is characterized by high fat and low carbohydrate content we aim to exploit known neuroprotective effects to reduce negative outcomes associated with nHI. While ketogenic diet has been studied in the context of ischemic stroke where it has positively improved infarct size in adult rat models this cannot be applied to neonatal brains. Our project aims to tackle this knowledge gap and improve health outcomes for neonates affected by nHI.