Fetal Programming - METHODS

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animal model "Chronically instrumented fetal lamb"

Time course of intrauterine brain development and sound transfer through the maternal abdomen are similar in human and sheep. The non-sedated sheep fetus can be examined in its natural intrauterine environment after chronic instrumentation under sterile conditions. The groundbreaking examinations of glucocorticoid effects on fetal lung maturation has been performed in this animal model. The glucocorticoid therapy saved the life of thousands of babies because it made ventilation of premature born babies possible. Fetal mal- and undernutrition, antenatal glucocorticoid therapy and perinatal asphyxia can be modelated in this animal model.

animal model neonate and adult rat

Investigation of long term effects of suboptimal intrauterine and perinatal  conditions on neuro-logical complications of perinatal asphyxia and prognosis of cerebrovascular diseases in later life.

fetal stimulations

• vibroacoustic and thermic stimulations
• fetal AEP and SEP recordings

application of linear and nonlinear methods of EEG analysis to study

• central nervous processing of vibroacustic and somatosensible stimulations to achieve complete analysis of cortical activation processes
• functional brain development and maturation of autonomous and centralnervous rhythms and their couplings
• glucocorticoid effects on fetal electrocortical brain function

methods

• definition of a time variant nonlinear parameter as innovative approach to calculate a theoretical point prediction error for nonstationary time series to quantify the nonlinear properties of the EEG during vibroacoustic and thermic stimulations
  
• polyspectral analysis (quantification of quadratic phase couplings) to detect phase couplings between distinct frequency components of the EEG
  
• model based signal analysis, data driven modeling using nonlinear oscillatory netzworks and model related interpretation of the system to analyze direct information transfer and  functional connections between the cardiorespiratory and cardiovascular system on one side and the cortical and subcortical system on the other side; examination of interactions of the autonomous and centralnervous system in the pathogenesis of attentive and cognitive deficits and cardiovascular dysfunctions

intrauterine brain perfusion measurements

• measurement of quantitative regional cerebral blood flow in the fetal brain  in utero using fluorescent microspheres
• measurement of relative cerebral blood flow changes using Laser Doppler flowmetry
• measurement of brain metabolism

myografy of resistance vessels

histological and  immunhistochemical stainings

A broad spectrum of histological and  immunhistochemical stainings is availabe to show subcellular neuronal strucures and receptors.

standardized behavioral tests in rats

biochemical markers