Biomarkers of inflammation are found in the circulation of adults who have had a stroke. Although these biomarkers may, in part, be indicators of damage, some appear to contribute to damage. Similar biomarkers are found in newborns with cerebral white matter damage or at risk of cerebral palsy. Can we learn about the pathogenesis of neonatal white matter damage from what has been learned about the inflammatory correlates of adult stroke? We discuss relevant findings about systemic inflammatory markers in adult stroke and relate this information to our current understanding of cerebral white matter damage in newborns, especially those born at an extremely low gestational age. We also describe desirable characteristics of future studies of perinatal brain damage that involve measurements of systemic biomarkers.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.