Ultrastructural features of a brain injury model in cat

Summary

We present qualitative and quantitative ultrastructural observations on the changes induced in neuroglia and blood vessels of gray matter of cat brain by an experimental acceleration-deceleration injury which, when used alone, causes negligible morbidity and mortality, but, when combined with systemic hypoxia, leads to coma and delayed death in approximately 50% of experimental subjects. An increase in the proportion of neuropil occupied by astrocytic cytoplasm is detectable qualitatively in layer Vb of pericruciate cortex 20 min after injury without hypoxia, and is maximal (22%, as measured morphometrically, vs 11.4% in controls) 40 min afterward. Near-normal values (14.1%) are obtained 100 min following the insult. If trauma is succeeded 40 min later by a 60-min period of hypoxia, there is prolongation of astrocytic edema and other neuroglial accompaniments of the traumatic lesion, such as aggregation of nuclear nucleoprotein granules and, in astrocytes, fusion of rosette ribosomes and enlargement of mitochondria. A decrease in luminal area occurs in capillaries 40 min after trauma applied alone. Hypoxia without trauma leads to a significant increase in capillary luminal area, which, however, is abolished when trauma precedes the hypoxic interlude. Intravenous injection of a non-diuretic, fluorenyl derivative (L-644,711) of (aryloxy)alkanoic acid loop diuretics, completely prevents the astrocytic swelling ordinarily present 40 min after acceleration-deceleration injury. Also, L-644,711 improves mortality and morbidity scores in cats subjected to trauma with hypoxia. We suggest that astroglial swelling may be a critical step in the evolving pathology of this head injury model and its prevention, as by L-644,711 administration, may have relevance to the treatment of cerebral edema in human head injury and other clinical disorders accompanied by astrocytic swelling.