title: Ornithine decarboxylase in developing brain of hydrocephalic rats. Effects of shunt operation.
abstract: We examined the changes in ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) immunoreactivity in the hydrocephalic cerebral cortex of HTX rats after decompression by shunt operation. The ODC immunoreactivity reached a very low level after the completion of cortical layer formation, and only faint staining was found on postnatal day (Pd) 11. The ODC immunoreactivity re-appeared after the shunt operation when the operation was done in the early days of life: the ODC immunoreactivity was first found on day 2 after shunting and persisted until day 8 after shunting. However, this was not apparent when the operation was not performed until Pd 14. The re-expression of ODC in hydrocephalic brain after shunting appears to cause resumption of the developmental process by relieving neurons from increased hydrostatic pressure. The dependence of ODC re-expression on the timing of the operation indicates that there may be a period of neocortical decompression that is critical for effective compensatory development, so that when delayed, decompression fails to re-activate the ODC-dependent development.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Shiga University of Medical Science, Otsu, Japan.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ichikawa
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Maeda
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Handa
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006849:Hydrocephalus / Q000473:pathology*; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D007427:Intracranial Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D009955:Ornithine Decarboxylase / Q000032:analysis*; D011247:Pregnancy; D017966:Pyramidal Cells / Q000473:pathology; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D017287:Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt
chemical_list: D009955:Ornithine Decarboxylase