title: Axonal injury: a universal consequence of fatal closed head injury?
abstract: beta-Amyloid precursor protein immunostaining has recently been shown to be a reliable method for detecting the damage to axons associated with fatal head injury. In an attempt to compare the efficacy of this technique with conventional histological detection of axonal damage, we have reanalysed sections from a large well-characterised series of head-injured and control patients. The results indicate that the frequency of axonal injury has been vastly underestimated using conventional silver techniques, and that axonal injury may in fact be an almost universal consequence of fatal head injury.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Charing Cross and Westminster Medical School, London, UK.
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Gentleman
authors.forename: G W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Roberts
authors.forename: T A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Gennarelli
authors.forename: W L
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Maxwell
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Adams
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kerr
authors.forename: D I
authors.initials: DI
authors.lastname: Graham
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016564:Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor / Q000378:metabolism; D001369:Axons / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D016489:Head Injuries, Closed / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007427:Intracranial Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016622:Silver Staining; D013534:Survival
chemical_list: D016564:Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor