ArticleeNeuro
Does Birth Trigger Cell Death in the Developing Brain?
Article in eNeuro. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers.
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Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed, 21 citations in OpenAlex.
- Divergent representation and processing of task cues in sensory and prefrontal cortices of preterm-born mice.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Detection of neuroglobin in umbilical cord blood signals progress in perinatal medicine.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Investigating Neotenic and Metamorphic Axolotl Brain Complexity: A Stereological and Immunohistochemical Perspective.The Journal of comparative neurology · 2025Article
- Article
- The importance of sleep for the developing brain.Current sleep medicine reports · 2024Article
- The inflammatory response to birth requires MyD88 and is driven by both mother and offspring.Brain, behavior, and immunity · 2024Article
- Preterm birth accelerates the maturation of spontaneous and resting activity in the visual cortex.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2023Article
- Preterm birth accelerates the maturation of spontaneous and resting activity in the visual cortex.Frontiers in integrative neuroscience · 2023Article
- The Impact of Mouse Preterm Birth Induction by RU-486 on Microglial Activation and Subsequent Hypomyelination.International journal of molecular sciences · 2022Article
- Deficits in Seizure Threshold and Other Behaviors in Adult Mice without Gross Neuroanatomic Injury after Late Gestation Transient Prenatal Hypoxia.Developmental neuroscience · 2022Article
- Development, Diversity, and Death of MGE-Derived Cortical Interneurons.International journal of molecular sciences · 2021Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Developmental cell death eliminates half of the neurons initially generated in the mammalian brain, and occurs perinatally in many species. It is possible that the timing of neuronal cell death is developmentally programmed, and only coincidentally associated with birth. Alternatively, birth may play a role in shaping cell death. To test these competing hypotheses, we experimentally advanced or delayed birth by 1 d in mice (within the normal range of gestation for the species) and examined effects on the temporal pattern and magnitude (amount) of neuronal cell death, using immunohistochemical detection of activated caspase-3 as a cell death marker. In order to detect effects of subtle changes in birth timing, we focused on brain areas that exhibit sharp postnatal peaks in cell death. We find that advancing birth advances peak cell death, supporting the hypothesis that birth triggers cell death. However, a delay of birth does not delay cell death. Thus, birth can advance cell death, but if postponed, a developmental program governs. Advancing or delaying birth also caused region-specific changes in the overall magnitude of cell death. Our findings shed light on the long-standing question of what controls the timing and magnitude of developmental neuronal cell death, and position birth as an orchestrator of brain development. Because humans across the world now routinely alter birth timing, these findings may have implications for current obstetric practices.
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