Rodent neonatal germinal matrix hemorrhage mimics the human brain injury, neurological consequences, and post-hemorrhagic hydrocephalus.

Germinal matrix hemorrhage (GMH) is the most common neurological disease of premature newborns. GMH causes neurological sequelae such as cerebral palsy, post-hemorrhagic hydrocephalus, and mental retardation. Despite this, there is no standardized animal model of spontaneous GMH using newborn rats to depict the condition. We asked whether stereotactic injection of collagenase type VII (0.3 U) into the ganglionic eminence of neonatal rats would reproduce the acute brain injury, gliosis, hydrocephalus, periventricular leukomalacia, and attendant neurological consequences found in humans. To test this hypothesis, we used our neonatal rat model of collagenase-induced GMH in P7 pups, and found that the levels of free-radical adducts (nitrotyrosine and 4-hyroxynonenal), proliferation (mammalian target of rapamycin), inflammation (COX-2), blood components (hemoglobin and thrombin), and gliosis (vitronectin and GFAP) were higher in the forebrain of GMH pups, than in controls. Neurobehavioral testing showed that pups with GMH had developmental delay, and the juvenile animals had significant cognitive and motor disability, suggesting clinical relevance of the model. There was also evidence of white-matter reduction, ventricular dilation, and brain atrophy in the GMH animals. This study highlights an instructive animal model of the neurological consequences after germinal matrix hemorrhage, with evidence of brain injuries that can be used to evaluate strategies in the prevention and treatment of post-hemorrhagic complications.