Experts from Johns Hopkins Children’s Center participated in various sessions and presentations during the 2023 Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting. In this video, pediatric cardiologist Allen Everett and neuroscientist Lauren Jantzie discuss their research on exposure to cyclohexanone (CXO) and neurodevelopmental deficits. In this study, the researchers explored how neonates who have had cardiac surgery experience poor neurodevelopment outcomes. Preclinical animal model shows exposure to this solvent affects neurodevelopment. Additional studies are needed to establish new avenues for neuro repair and to reduce medical CXO exposures.
Good morning. I'm Alan Everett. Uh I'm a pediatric cardiologist, professor of pediatrics at Johns Hopkins. And I'd like to talk to you about our abstract cycle hexen impairs functional and an atomic brain connectivity. Following perinatal exposure. We know that the Children after neonatal cardiac surgery uh have significant neurodevelopmental deficits that last a life lifetime. These include learning, speech and hyperactivity. Uh We found that their neonates having cardiac surgery are exposed to an organic solvent that's used in the fabrication of medical plastics called cyclohexane. And that in an association study exposure to cyclohexane during surgery resulted in worse neurodevelopmental outcomes after a year. What the abstract today identifies as a causal link between the cycle Heinonen exposure uh and abnormal brain uh function and uh an atomic connectivity. Thank you. Hi. My name is Lauren Jay and I'm an associate professor of pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center. I'm also a pediatric neuroscientist Cyclohexane is an organic solvent sealer that is ubiquitous in the IC U environment. It is common in I V polyvinyl chloride chloride bags and also stop cocks and plastic connector tubings and it can be infused into medical fluids and previously my colleague showed that circulating cyclo Heinonen levels were independently associated with impaired neurodevelopmental outcomes after neonatal cardiac surgery. Although the mechanism for this is unknown. So in my lab, we wanted to test using a preclinical model that psycho hexen exposure would significantly alter white matter microstructure and functional brain connectivity. We exposed rats to clinically relevant levels of cyclohexane and we found that psycho and we found that psycho Heinonen disrupted the integrity of white matter tracts. We also found that cyclo hexen strikingly decreased global network connectivity and network topology in that it significantly altered and diminished functional connectivity. And this is important because we found this in brain regions that are central to attention and executive function. So, in conclusion, our results showed that psycho hein exposure that is equivalent to exposure that one would see in A N U or a cardiac IC U environment after cardiac surgery has profound effects on white matter microstructure and white matter integrity and also functional brain connectivity um through adolescence and adulthood. And we found that these changes in anatomical and functional connectivity were really profound and cortical and deep gray matter networks that are central to executive function and attention. And this is important because network dysfunction has been implicated in the executive function deficits and the hyperactivity that has been seen in Children after cardiac surgery and very high levels of cycle Heinonen exposure. And so these findings may be key to understanding um why there is impaired neurodevelopment in this patient population. Additional studies from us in the lab are urgently needed to address the mechanisms of this injury and to discover avenues for neuro repair for this type of brain um brain injury as well. Similarly, we need to understand and reduce cycle hexad exposure in the IC U environment. Thank you.
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