The placenta after hypoxia/reoxygenation secretes factors damaging to the developing fetal brain

What is it about?

In pre-eclampsia, which is a fairly common complication in pregnancy, the placenta undergoes cycles of hypoxia and reoxygenation. This paper reports that the placenta secretes factors damaging to the developing fetal brain under such conditions.

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Why is it important?

The findings of the paper are in line with epidemiological findings reporting increased susceptibility to neuropsychiatric disorders of infants born from pre-eclampsic mothers, and provides a point of departure from which mechanistic analyses can be performed, which may ultimately yield strategies for treatment.