Protecting the Fragile Baby Brain Neonatologist and researcher Praveen Ballabh, M.D., is discovering possibilities for preventing brain hemorrhages in vulnerable preterm infants. By Cynthia A. Read
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edicine’s ability to save even the tiniest premature babies—those weighing less than 1,000 grams (about 2.2 pounds) and born as early as 23 weeks—is a scientific miracle. What was once almost unimaginable is the fact that now 85 to 90 percent of these infants survive. But the miracle often comes at a high price. Fragile blood vessels in the immature brain frequently rupture with damage from the hemorrhage causing devastating complications: hydrocephalus, cerebral palsy and mental retardation. While parents of these tiny, vulnerable infants may have prayed for their children to survive, they probably did not realize that it may come at the cost of brain hemorrhage, the most common neurological problem in premature infants. Praveen Ballabh, M.D., associate professor of pediatrics in the Division of Newborn Medicine, wants to improve the odds for these micropremies. Since coming to New York Medical College in 2001, he has been researching the causes of germinal matrix hemorrhage (GMH), which occurs in up to 20 percent of preterm infants born at less than 1,500 grams. With a steely determination belied by his gentle eyes and lilting voice, he is tracking ways to prevent GMH and to mitigate its dreadful effects.
At right: As principal investigator on NIH-funded studies of the delicate mechanisms of the newborn brain, Dr. Ballabh (center) relies on his team. From left they are: Caroline Chua, M.D., neonatal-perinatal fellow; Govindaiah Vinukonda, Ph.D., instructor of pediatrics; Muhammad T. Zia, M.D., assistant professor of pediatrics; Krishna Dummula, M.D., neonatal-perinatal fellow; and Furong Hu, research associate.