Department of Pediatrics, Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy

E-mail: joshua.bonkowsky@hsc.utah.edu
Address: 405 MREB, 20 North 1900 East
Phone: 581-6756

Research Title:  Effects of Hypoxia on Development of CNS Connectivity

Research Description:

Hypoxia, defined as an insufficient oxygenation of tissue, can have serious, detrimental effects on central nervous system (CNS) development in humans.  One prominent example of a human disorder that can result from developmental hypoxic injury is cerebral palsy.  Cerebral palsy is a chronic disorder that occurs in the perinatal period and causes life-long symptoms including motor impairment, seizures, and cognitive deficits.

However, whether hypoxic injury causes axon pathfinding errors in vertebrates is not known.  Our preliminary results demonstrate that hypoxia causes specific axon pathfinding errors.  Using zebrafish, we have developed a model system for studying the molecular basis for these effects.

We are currently characterizing the nature of these axon pathfinding errors, and determining the genetic pathways that are dysregulated.

Does this research involve human subjects or animals?  Yes

If yes, what is the protocol number?  08-08001

10/2009