The goal of Frances Jensen's research is to determine the age-specific mechanisms of hypoxic/ischemic perinatal brain injury, which can result in mental retardataion, and to devise age-appropriate therapies. Specifically, she is focusing on two common sequelae of such injuries--seizures and periventricular leukomalacia (PVL), or white matter injury.

Seizures associated with hypoxia are often refractory to therapy and can be associated with long-term epilepsy. Jensen and her colleagues seek to determine the age-specific mechanisms of such seizures that might contribute to their relative resistance to conventional antiepileptic drugs that are effective at older ages. They are also investigating the effect of these seizures on subsequent brain development and on the development of epilepsy later in life.

The second major focus of the laboratory is on age-specific mechanisms of white matter injury in the developing brain. PVL is the most common pathology associated with the subsequent diagnosis of cerebral palsy in premature infants. Jensen's research is directed at evaluating age-specific mechanisms of oligodendrocyte injury in vitro and in vivo. These studies may lead to in vivo studies of preventive drug therapy.