Graduation Date

Fall 12-14-2018

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Programs

Medical Sciences Interdepartmental Area

First Advisor

Ann Anderson Berry, MD, PhD

Second Advisor

Corrine Hanson, PhD, RD

Third Advisor

Lani Zimmerman, PhD

Abstract

Many events during pregnancy and early infancy can affect infant brain development. Inflammation during pregnancy, around delivery and during early infancy appears to adversely affect infant brain development. As the brain is rapidly growing and developing from conception through early childhood, it is particularly vulnerable during this time to inflammatory insults, which may be exacerbated or ameliorated by nutritional factors. Inflammatory compounds, as well as many nutritional compounds, can be either pro- or anti-inflammatory. These compounds are of particular importance in preterm infants, who are at risk of deficiency in anti-inflammatory micronutrients typically stored as a result of prenatal maternal diets and thus reliant on post-natal dietary supplementation. Understanding the ways in which nutritional status and inflammation interact with each other has been identified as a key gap to fill in improving our ability to treat and prevent neurodevelopmental impairment as a result of prematurity. We examined the innovative conceptual framework by which nutritional compounds such as alpha- and beta-carotenes, lutein, lycopene and alpha-tocopherol are associated with decreased levels of pro-inflammatory compounds associated with inflammation in utero and after delivery. These studies will lay the foundation for long-term studies of neurodevelopment outcomes in these infants, as well as allow us to identify key pathways we might target for dietary or pharmacologic immunomodulation to improve neurologic outcomes in high risk infants.

ASSOCIATION BETWEEN SYSTEMIC INFLAMMATION AND NUTRITIONAL COMPOUNDS IN MATERNAL-INFANT DYADS

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