title: A novel model of optic nerve injury established by microsurgery using the pterional approach in cats.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Experimental studies have yielded a wealth of information related to the pathological mechanism of optic nerve injury. However, there is no suitable animal model to study intracranial optic nerve injury.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To establish an experimental model of acute optic nerve injury.
  
  
  METHODS
  We established an animal model of acute intracranial optic nerve injury using the classic pterional approach in cats and investigated electrophysiological and ultrastructural changes. We applied immunohistochemical staining to examine the expression of glial fibrillary acid protein, neurofilament protein, myelin basic protein pre- and post-injury.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We successfully established an animal model of acute intracranial optic nerve injury.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The pathological processes of acute optic nerve injury may involve the following series of steps. Direct mechanical injury of the optic nerve leads to the death of oligodendrocytes in the optic nerve, which consequently results in optic nerve demyelination. Following optic nerve injury, the astrocytes in the injured area die and produce excitatory amino acids, which have an adverse effect on neurons, resulting in the proliferation and activation of astrocytes. The astrocytes can absorb the glutamic acid and transform it into atoxic glutamine. The glutamic acid can then injure retinal ganglion cells, resulting in the reduction of neurofilament proteins in the axons. We believe that the application of the pterional approach to establish optic nerve injury animal models has both a clinical and theoretical basis.
authors: Department of Neurosurgery, Chinese PLA General Hospital of Jinan Military Command, Jinan, Shandong Province, China. yufeng.yf@163.com
authors: Feng
authors: F
authors: Yu
authors: Rongwei
authors: R
authors: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000818:Animals; D002415:Cats; D003393:Cranial Sutures / Q000601:surgery; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D055724:Electrophysiological Phenomena; D005074:Evoked Potentials, Visual / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D008866:Microsurgery; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D009900:Optic Nerve / Q000473:pathology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D020221:Optic Nerve Injuries / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D011680:Pupil / Q000502:physiology; D012886:Skull / Q000601:surgery
chemical_list: D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins