title: The fate of Nissl-stained dark neurons following traumatic brain injury in rats: difference between neocortex and hippocampus regarding survival rate.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, National Defense Medical College, 3-2 Namiki, Tokorozawa, Saitama 359-8513, Japan.
authors.forename: Hidetoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ooigawa
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nawashiro
authors.forename: Shinji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fukui
authors.forename: Naoki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Otani
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Osumi
authors.forename: Terushige
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Toyooka
authors.forename: Katsuji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shima
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D048049:Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases