The fate of Nissl-stained dark neurons following traumatic brain injury in rats: difference between neocortex and hippocampus regarding survival rate.
We studied the fate of Nissl-stained dark neurons (N-DNs) following traumatic brain injury (TBI). N-DNs were investigated in the cerebral neocortex and the hippocampus using a rat lateral fluid percussion injury model. Nissl stain, acid fuchsin stain and immunohistochemistry with phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (pERK) antibody were used in order to assess posttraumatic neurons. In the neocortex, the number of dead neurons at 24 h postinjury was significantly less than that of the observed N-DNs in the earlier phase. Only a few N-DNs increased their pERK immunoreactivity. On the other hand, in the hippocampus the number of dead neurons was approximately the same number as that of the N-DNs, and most N-DNs showed an increased pERK immunoreactivity. These data suggest that not all N-DNs inevitably die especially in the neocortex after TBI. The fate of N-DNs is thus considered to differ depending on brain subfields.
Ooigawa
Hidetoshi
H
Department of Neurosurgery, National Defense Medical College, 3-2 Namiki, Tokorozawa, Saitama 359-8513, Japan.
Nawashiro
Hiroshi
H
Fukui
Shinji
S
Otani
Naoki
N
Osumi
Atsushi
A
Toyooka
Terushige
T
Shima
Katsuji
K
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology*; D002452:Cell Count / Q000379:methods; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D048049:Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000473:pathology*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D019579:Neocortex / Q000473:pathology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000145:classification / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013194:Staining and Labeling; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D015996:Survival Rate; D013997:Time Factors
D048049:Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases