Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania, USA, have conducted a randomized clinical trial to investigate the impact of maternal progesterone therapy on neurodevelopmental outcomes in infants with congenital heart defects. A detailed trial report is published in JAMA Network Open . Study: Progesterone for Neurodevelopment in Fetuses With Congenital Heart Defects .
Image Credit: adriaticfoto / Shutterstock Children with congenital heart defects frequently experience substantial neurodevelopmental problems. Brain dysmaturity at birth, characterized by microcephaly, delayed white matter maturation, and simplified cortical folding, is a significant contributor to adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes. Progesterone is a sex steroid hormone that plays a crucial role in brain development, including white matter maturation.
Progesterone and its metabolites promote neural viability and regeneration, increase myelination, and induce maturation of progenitor cells to oligodendrocytes, in addition to exhibiting neuroprotective effects. Vaginal progesterone therapy in women with preterm birth risk has been found to reduce neonatal mortality and brain injury. A reduced risk of preterm births and neonatal morbidities has also been observed in progesterone-treated women.
In this randomized clinical trial, scientists have assessed the impact of prenatal progesterone therapy on neurodevelopmental outcomes in fetuses with congenital heart defects. This randomized controlled clinical trial was .
