Auditory processing and learning/memory following erythropoietin administration in neonatally hypoxic–ischemic injured rats

Background: Hypoxia–ischemia (HI) is a common injury arising from prematurity/complications at birth and is associated with later language, auditory, and learning impairments. Objective: To investigate the efficacy of two doses (300 or 1000 U/kg) of Erythropoietin (Epo) in protecting against neuropathological and behavioral impairments associated with HI injury in rats. Methods: HI injury (right carotid artery cauterization and 120 min of 8% O2) was induced on postnatal day 7 (P7) and Epo or saline was administered i.p. immediately following the procedure. Auditory processing and learning/memory were assessed throughout development. Results: Both doses of Epo provided behavioral protection following HI injury. Rats given 300 or 1000 U/kg of Epo performed significantly better than HI animals on a short duration complex auditory processing procedure, on a spatial Morris water maze assessing spatial learning/reference memory, and a non-spatial water maze assessing associative learning/reference memory. Conclusions: Given Epo's extant clinical use (FDA approved for pediatric patients with anemia secondary to prematurity), the current results add to a growing body of literature supporting the use of Epo as a potential protective agent for neurological and behavioral impairments following early HI injury in infants.