Michael LaFemina

Medical Student

I am a third year medical student funded by Ralston Grant for Neuroscience Research. My research involves assessing the differential response to hypoxic-ischemic (HI) injury between the mature and immature brain.  Specifically, the neonatal brain may be more vulnerable to HI than the mature brain because of a greater susceptibility to oxidative stress.  We have hypothesized that immature brain accumulates more hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) than the mature brain after a similar hypoxic-ischemic injury. To test this hypothesis, we have measured H2O2 accumulation in vivo in P7 and P42 CD1 mouse cortex and hippocampus at various time points after HI induced with the modified Levine procedure. H202 accumulation was quantified using the aminotriazole-mediated inhibition of catalase spectrophotometric method. Our results suggest that H2O2 accumulates in immature brain but not in mature brain after similar hypoxic-ischemic insult.





contact: mlafemin@itsa.ucsf.edu