The Newborn at High Risk of Brain Damage

Special Topic Issue: Biology of the Neonate 2001, Vol. 79, No. 3-4 In the last 10 years it has become evident that the etiology of neonatal brain injury is multifactorial and that cerebral palsy is only caused by birth asphyxia in a minority of cases. A number of risk factors for developing brain injury other than asphyxia and oxidative stress, such as inflammation and environmental factors, suggest that prevention may be possible, but first a more thorough understanding of the mechanisms leading to brain injury is required. This issue brings together the work of leading scientists on the risk factors for neonatal brain injury, on high-risk newborns, mechanisms leading to injury and new therapeutic approaches. It should be of interest to obstetricians, paediatricians, neonatologists, neurologists, neuropathologists and all those concerned with the care of newborns.