It can be difficult to treat children born with brain damage. But new research on the hormone melatonin offers hope.

MELATONIN: “The hormone melatonin can help children with brain damage. But it can’t yet be used effectively. My research aims to make treatment accessible,” says Axel Karl Gottfrid Nyman in the Department of Circulation and Medical Imaging at NTNU.

Nyman made it to the finals at the Researchers’ Grand Prix on 30 September this year. His field of research has the potential to impact a lot of people and their loved ones.

Nyman wants to increase the chance for melatonin to work in treating newborns with brain damage. Photo: Julie Gloppe Solem, NTNU

Every two minutes, a child is born with brain injury. We don’t always know why, but the most common known cause is too little blood and oxygen reaching the brain. The consequences can be dramatic and lead to a life with cerebral palsy, impaired concentration, epilepsy or a permanent need for support and help.

Article source: https://geminiresearchnews.com/2017/11/melatonin-offers-hope-brain-damaged-children/