THE PRENATAL AGE CRITICAL FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE PONTOSUBICULAR NECROSIS

Pontosubicular neuronal necrosis is characterized by neuronal karyorrh exis, showing a peculiar distribution. In infants delivered at more th an 29 gestational weeks (GW), neuronal karyorrhexis is restricted to t he pens and subiculum, while in very premature infants (delivered at l ess than 28 GW), neurons in other brain regions, such as the inferior olivary nucleus, cerebellum, basal ganglia, thalamus and cerebral cort ex, are also involved. Thus, karyorrhexis is more widely distributed i n the more immature brain, implicating neuronal maturation as one of t he pathogenetic factors relevant to this type of neuronal cell death.