Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39433959›Full record

ArticlePediatric research2025

Preterm birth is associated with dystonic features and reduced cortical parvalbumin immunoreactivity in mice.

Kat Gemperli, Femi Folorunso, Benjamin Norin, Rebecca Joshua, Rachel Rykowski, Clayton Hill, Rafael Galindo, Bhooma R Aravamuthan

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Article in Pediatric research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

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3citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Modeling cerebral palsy in animals.Developmental medicine and child neurology · 2026
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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Kat GemperliDepartment of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA.
Femi FolorunsoDepartment of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA.
Benjamin NorinDepartment of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA.
Rebecca JoshuaDepartment of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA.
Rachel RykowskiDepartment of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA.
Clayton HillDepartment of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA.
Rafael Galindo *Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA.
Bhooma R Aravamuthan *Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA. aravamuthanb@wustl.edu.

Funding

National Institutes of Neurological Disorders and Strok 1K08NS117850-01A1National Institutes of Neurological Disorders and Strok 1R01NS112234
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPreterm birth is a common cause of dystonia. Though dystonia is often associated with striatal dysfunction after neonatal brain injury, cortical dysfunction may best predict dystonia following preterm birth. Furthermore, abnormal sensorimotor cortex inhibition is associated with genetic and idiopathic dystonias. To investigate cortical dysfunction and dystonia following preterm birth, we developed a new model of preterm birth in mice.

methodsWe induced preterm birth in C57BL/6J mice at embryonic day 18.3, ~24 h early. Leg adduction variability and amplitude, metrics we have shown distinguish between dystonia from spasticity during gait in people with CP, were quantified from gait videos of mice. Parvalbumin-positive interneurons, the largest population of cortical inhibitory interneurons, were quantified in the sensorimotor cortex and striatum.

resultsMice born preterm demonstrate increased leg adduction amplitude and variability during gait, suggestive of clinically observed dystonic gait features. Mice born preterm also demonstrate fewer parvalbumin-positive interneurons and reduced parvalbumin immunoreactivity in the sensorimotor cortex, but not the striatum, suggesting dysfunction of cortical inhibition.

conclusionsThese data may suggest an association between cortical dysfunction and dystonic gait features following preterm birth. We propose that our novel mouse model of preterm birth can be used to study this association. IMPACT: Mouse models of true preterm birth are valuable for studying clinical complications of prematurity. Mice born preterm demonstrate increased leg adduction amplitude and variability during gait, suggestive of clinically observed dystonic gait features. Mice born preterm demonstrate fewer parvalbumin-positive interneurons and reduced parvalbumin immunoreactivity in the sensorimotor cortex, suggesting dysfunction of cortical inhibition. Mice born preterm do not demonstrate changes in parvalbumin immunoreactivity in the striatum. Cortical dysfunction may be associated with dystonic gait features following preterm birth.

Indexed as

DystoniaDystonic DisordersParvalbuminsPremature BirthSensorimotor CortexAnimalsCorpus StriatumDisease Models, AnimalFemaleGaitInterneuronsMaleMiceMice, Inbred C57BLParvalbumins

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.