Neonatal Hypoxic-Ischemic Brain Injury: Apoptotic and Non-Apoptotic Cell Death

Abstract

The neuronal cell death associated with perinatal asphyxia, or hypoxic-ischemic (HI) brain injury, plays an important role in neonatal mortality and neurodevelopment retardation. The types of cell death associated with HI in the brain have been classified as being either apoptotic or necrotic. Here we describe the recent discoveries of multiple non-apoptotic cell death pathways: necroptosis; ferroptosis; and autosis (autophagy). These new cell death pathways expand our understanding of the mechanisms underlying the cell death associated with perinatal asphyxia. By targeting specific regulators of these pathways, new therapies may be developed that could protect the neonatal brain from the HI mediated injury.