# Developing and characterizing a translational neonatal rat cardiac arrest and cardiopulmonary resuscitation model

> **NIH NIH R03** · UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER · 2022 · $155,500

## Abstract

Project Summary
Cardiac arrest is a major underlying cause of morbidity and mortality and risk factors for pediatric cardiac arrest
include early age (<1 year), male sex, requirement for surgical intervention or ventilation and cardiac defects.
Improvements in resuscitation have increased survival outcomes after resuscitation however therapies to
improve long-term neurological outcomes are lacking. Global ischemia resulting from cardiac arrest causes
systemic anoxia/hypoxia, hypercapnia and acidosis, causing injury to the brain and other organ systems. The
neurological sequelae following global cerebral ischemia (GCI) include cerebral lesions, seizures and long-term
motor, cognitive and emotional abnormalities. Therapeutic hypothermia for neonates suffering a perinatal
hypoxic-ischemic event and are less than 6 hours old remains the only intervention to improve outcomes but has
limited application for older neonates and long-term neurological impairments remain even in those receiving
TH. The goal of this proposal is to advance therapies for neonatal global cerebral ischemia by developing an
animal model that more closely resembles the clinical scenario. Importantly, a neonatal CA/CPR model will more
recapitulate the systemic reduction in blood flow that occurs during severe hypoperfusion or cardiac arrest.
Therefore, we can examine the response of posterior brain regions to ischemic injury and organ-brain
interactions that was not previously possible in term-equivalent rodents. In aim 1, we will optimize our cardiac
arrest duration to generate pathophysiology that resembles that found in neonatal GCI and will characterize brain
injury with histology and magnetic resonance imagine. In aim 2, we will characterize the behavioral deficits that
result from neonatal GCI. By completing these aims we will provide a new tool to study neonatal global ischemia
that will serve as a foundation for future mechanistic studies and collaborations.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10591062
- **Project number:** 1R03NS128372-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER
- **Principal Investigator:** Nidia Quillinan
- **Activity code:** R03 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $155,500
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-09-15 → 2025-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10591062

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10591062, Developing and characterizing a translational neonatal rat cardiac arrest and cardiopulmonary resuscitation model (1R03NS128372-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-01 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10591062. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*