title: Development of prolonged focal cerebral edema and regional cation changes following experimental brain injury in the rat.
abstract: The present study examined the formation of regional cerebral edema in adult rats subjected to lateral (parasagittal) experimental fluid-percussion brain injury. Animals receiving fluid-percussion brain injury of moderate severity over the left parietal cortex were assayed for brain water content at 6 h, 24 h, and 2, 3, 5, and 7 days post injury. Regional sodium and potassium concentrations were measured in a separate group of animals at 10 min, 1 h, 6 h, and 24 h following fluid-percussion injury. Injured parietal cortex demonstrated significant edema, beginning at 6 h post injury (p less than 0.05) and persisting up to 5 days post injury. In the hippocampus ipsilateral to the site of cortical injury, significant edema occurred as early as 1 h post injury (p less than 0.05), with resolution of water accumulation beginning at 3 days. Sodium concentrations significantly increased in both injured cortex (1 h post injury, p less than 0.05) and injured hippocampus (10 min post injury, p less than 0.05). Potassium concentrations fell significantly 1 h post injury within the injured cortex (p less than 0.05), whereas significant decreases were not observed until 24 h post injury within the injured hippocampus. Cation alterations persisted throughout the 24-h post injury period. These results demonstrate that regional brain edema and cation deregulation occur in rats subjected to lateral fluid-percussion brain injury and that these changes may persist for a prolonged period after brain injury.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington 06030-9984.
authors.forename: H D
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Soares
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Cloherty
authors.forename: T K
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: McIntosh
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001834:Body Water / Q000378:metabolism; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D001929:Brain Edema / Q000209:etiology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000150:complications* / Q000378:metabolism; D002412:Cations / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D009929:Organ Size; D009994:Osmolar Concentration; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013046:Specific Gravity; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D002412:Cations