Background: Caudal brainstem dysfunction associated with Chiari malformation type II (CM-II) is an important source of morbidity and mortality in neonates with myelomeningocele (MMC).

Observations: Prenatal MMC repair has been shown to improve or even completely reverse the extent of hindbrain herniation (HH) associated with CM-II as well as reduce the incidence of hydrocephalus requiring CSF diversion, possibly leading to a reduction in CM-II-related symptoms in these children. Urgent CSF diversion and potential CM-II decompression surgery are typically the preferred treatments for infants demonstrating caudal brainstem dysfunction, although contemporary reports have described a decreased need for both CSF diversionary surgery and CM-II decompression following prenatal MMC repair.

Lessons: The authors present a unique case of a newborn demonstrating a rapid onset of severe caudal brainstem dysfunction despite imaging evidence of complete HH reversal following intrauterine MMC repair, highlighting the need for continued close monitoring of these infants despite satisfactory improvement in HH following fetal surgery. https://thejns.org/doi/10.3171/CASE24815.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.3171/CASE24815DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

brainstem dysfunction
16
caudal brainstem
12
prenatal mmc
8
mmc repair
8
csf diversion
8
cm-ii decompression
8
severe brainstem
4
dysfunction
4
dysfunction neonate
4
neonate intrauterine
4

Similar Publications

Thermosensory predictive coding underpins an illusion of pain.

Sci Adv

March 2025

Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience (CFIN), Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.

The human brain has a remarkable ability to learn and update its beliefs about the world. Here, we investigate how thermosensory learning shapes our subjective experience of temperature and the misperception of pain in response to harmless thermal stimuli. Through computational modeling, we demonstrate that the brain uses a probabilistic predictive coding scheme to update beliefs about temperature changes based on their uncertainty.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Targeting Neuroinflammation in Preterm White Matter Injury: Therapeutic Potential of Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Derived Exosomes.

Cell Mol Neurobiol

March 2025

Henan Key Laboratory of Child Brain Injury and Henan Pediatric Clinical Research Center, Institute of Neuroscience and Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Kangfu Qian Street 7, Zhengzhou, 450052, China.

Neuroinflammation is a key factor in the development of preterm white matter injury (PWMI), leading to glial cell dysfunction, arrest of oligodendrocyte maturation, and long-term neurological damage. As a potential therapeutic strategy, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) exhibit significant immunomodulatory and regenerative potential. Recent studies suggest that the primary mechanism of MSC action is their paracrine effects, particularly mediated by extracellular vesicles, with MSC-derived exosomes (MSC-Exos) being the key mediators.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Repetitive drug use results in enduring structural and functional changes in the brain. Addiction research has consistently revealed significant modifications in key brain networks related to reward, habit, salience, executive function, memory and self-regulation. Techniques like Voxel-based Morphometry have highlighted large-scale structural differences in grey matter across distinct groups.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Research on brain plasticity, particularly in the context of deafness, consistently emphasizes the reorganization of the auditory cortex. But to what extent do all individuals with deafness show the same level of reorganization? To address this question, we examined the individual differences in functional connectivity (FC) from the deprived auditory cortex. Our findings demonstrate remarkable differentiation between individuals deriving from the absence of shared auditory experiences, resulting in heightened FC variability among deaf individuals, compared to more consistent FC in the hearing group.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Recent studies highlight the critical role of microglia in neurodegenerative disorders, and emphasize the need for humanized models to accurately study microglial responses. Human-mouse microglia xenotransplantation models are a valuable platform for functional studies and for testing therapeutic approaches, yet currently those models are only available for academic research. This hampers their implementation for the development and testing of medication that targets human microglia.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!