Knock out of P75NTR does not protect against NMDAR – mediated excitotoxic brain injury in newborn mice

Background: Periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) is a major cause of neurological handicap in preterm born infants. The role of neurotrophin receptor P75 (P75NTR) in the pathogenesis and repair of perinatal excitotoxic brain injury is unknown. Beside its trophic function P75NTR can also induce apoptosis. Hypothesis: Since the excitotoxic cascade might induce the secretion of neurotrophins and their precursors by microglial cell activation and subplate neurons, which are damaged by hypoxia-ischemia, highly express the P75NTR, we hypothesized that P75NTR knock out mice (KO) have a significant less lesion size upon e…