Implications of allopregnanolone in weak calf syndrome

Abstract

Weak calf syndrome (WCS) produces "dummy calves" that are weak and unable to stand or nurse. The causes of WCS are not well understood and often attributed to hypoxic and ischemic injury without confirmation. Recent research in other species has pointed to an alternative mechanism behind neonatal syndromes comparable to WCS. This involves the persistence of progesterone metabolites in the neonatal brain resulting in symptoms consistent with WCS. One specific progesterone metabolite, allopregnanolone, may be a significant contributor to WCS pathogenesis, which this study intended to demonstrate.