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Morphological lesions in the brain preceding the development of postischemic seizures

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Summary

This study explores how hyperglycemia and enhanced tissue lactic acidosis influence the density and distribution of ischemic brain damage. Ischemia of 10-min duration was produced in glucose-infused rats by bilateral carotid clamping combined with hypotension, and the brains were perfusion-fixed with formaldehyde following recirculation of 3, 6, 12 and 18 h. After about 24 h the hyperglycemic animals developed seizures, and at that time two groups were added, one fixed prior to, and one after the onset of seizures. Similar experiments were made on normoglycemic animals with recirculation times of 1.5 to 96 h. After fixation the brains were embedded in paraffin, subserially sectioned and stained with celestine blue/acid fuchsin. In both normo- and hyperglycemic animals, neurons in the dentate hilus of the hippocampal formation and in the thalamic lateral reticular nucleus showed early and dense neuronal necrosis. In neocortex, hippocampal CA1 sector and caudoputamen, hyperglycemia shortened the delay before damage occurred and markedly enhanced the damage. Specific for the hyperglycemic animals was damage of the substantia nigra, pars reticulata (SNPR), manifest already at the earliest recovery periods studied; this finding is discussed in relationship to the role SNPR is assumed to play in preventing spread of seizure discharge.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory for Experimental Brain Research, University of Lund, S-22185, Lund, Sweden

    M. -L. Smith & B. K. Siesjö

  2. Division of Neuropathology, Department of Pathology I, University of Gothenburg, S-41 345, Gothenburg, Sweden

    H. Kalimo

  3. Department of Pathology, University of Turku, SF-20 520, Turku, Finland

    H. Kalimo

  4. Department of Anesthesia, University of Iowa Hospital, 52 242, Iowa City, IA, USA

    D. S. Warner

Authors
  1. M. -L. Smith
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  2. H. Kalimo
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  3. D. S. Warner
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  4. B. K. Siesjö
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Additional information

Supported by the Swedish Medical Research Council (Grants No. 14X-263 and 12X-7123), the National Institutes of Health of the United States Public Health Service (Grant No. 5 R01 NS-07838) and Finnish Medical Research Council

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Smith, M.L., Kalimo, H., Warner, D.S. et al. Morphological lesions in the brain preceding the development of postischemic seizures. Acta Neuropathol 76, 253–264 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00687772

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00687772

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