title: Clinical evaluation of extracellular amino acids in severe head trauma by intracerebral in vivo microdialysis.
abstract: The underlying mechanisms of neuronal dysfunction in head injury are multifactorial and not fully understood. Recent experimental evidence indicates that excitatory amino acids--for example, glutamate--may play a key part in secondary neuronal damage after head injury. A patient with severe head trauma was monitored for extracellular amino acids by intracerebral in vivo microdialysis. Very high concentrations of glutamate, glycine, and gamma-aminobutyric acid were recorded in the microdialysate specimens collected over three hours. In vivo microdialysis in head injury may prove to be a useful tool in understanding the pathogenesis of cell death in head trauma.
authors.affiliation: Saskatchewan Stroke Research Centre, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kanthan
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shuaib
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001923:Brain Chemistry; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000378:metabolism*; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000032:analysis*; D005998:Glycine / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017551:Microdialysis; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D018698:Glutamic Acid; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid; D005998:Glycine