Activation of autophagy and Akt/CREB signaling play an equivalent role in the neuroprotective effect of rapamycin in neonatal hypoxia-ischemia (original) (raw)

Evaluation of brain damage in a rat model of neonatal hypoxic-ischemia

Journal of Neuroscience Methods, 1990

In spite of improvements in obstetric and neonatal care, hypoxic-ischemic brain damage with severe neurologic disability is still a clinical reality. A model in 7-day-old rats has been introduced to study the pathophysiology of perinatal hypoxic-ischemic brain damage. Unilateral brain damage is produced in the cerebral cortex, striatum and hippocampus, i.e. a similar distribution as is often seen in human asphyxiated neonates. In the present investigation the model was evaluated further by comparing three different methods to assess the brain damage: weighing the hemispheres, morphometry and somatosensory evoked potentials. Seven-day-old rats were subjected to unilateral carotid artery ligation followed by 2 h of hypoxia (7.7% 02 at 36 ° C). After 2 h of hypoxic-ischemia pCO 2 and pO 2 decreased in mixed arterial/venous blood. The evaluation of the damage 2 weeks after the insult, demonstrated close correlation between morphometry and weighing (r = 0.836, P < 0.01). The amplitude of evoked potentials correlated to the other parameters (r = 0.814, P < 0.01 and r = 0.824, P'< 0.01 respectively) and displayed a greater relative attenuation than the other methods but with a more pronounced variability. These results indicate that the degree of brain damage can be assessed by weighing for screening purposes.. 0165-0270/90/$03.50

A rat model of severe neonatal hypoxic-ischemic brain injury

Stroke, 1992

Perinatal hypoxic-ischemic brain injury is a common problem with severe neurological sequelae. In this report we describe in detail a simple model of hypoxia-ischemia in the neonatal rat that gives rise to severe neocortical infarction and to selective hippocampal neuronal necrosis. Seven-day-old Simonsen Wistar rat pups underwent bilateral carotid artery ligation under methoxyflurane anesthesia and, after a 4 to 6-hour recovery, were exposed to 60 minutes of hypoxia (6.5% O2); they were perfusion-fixed 3 days later for histological study. Brain temperature was monitored throughout this treatment. We found that 64 +/- 3% of neocortex above the rhinal sulcus was infarcted; this infarction was evenly distributed through the cerebral hemispheres. In the hippocampus, neuronal necrosis was selective for the internal (hilar) layers of granule cells of the dentate gyrus, with relative sparing of CA1 pyramidal cells. In addition, brain temperature was tightly controlled throughout the exper...

Indirect Measures of Neuroprotection Are Parameters to Avoid: Examples from Research on Neonatal Rat Hypoxia-Ischemia

Image Analysis & Stereology, 2011

The use of indirect measures of neuronal injury or neuroprotection, such as brain weight or the neuronal density of neurons, can lead to misinterpretations of biological processes. The use of modern stereological methods to directly measure the absolute number of surviving neurons generally yields more reliable conclusions. The aim of this review is to provide some worked examples of this principle. The worked examples are obtained from research completed over the past 13 years on the investigation of potential neuroprotective therapies for moderate brain injury after neonatal hypoxia-ischemia in the rat.

Image Anal Stereol 2011;30:1-9 Review Article 1 INDIRECT MEASURES OF NEUROPROTECTION ARE PARAMETERS TO AVOID: EXAMPLES FROM RESEARCH ON NEONATAL RAT

2011

The use of indirect measures of neuronal injury or neuroprotection, such as brain weight or the neuronal density of neurons, can lead to misinterpretations of biological processes. The use of modern stereological methods to directly measure the absolute number of surviving neurons generally yields more reliable conclusions. The aim of this review is to provide some worked examples of this principle. The worked examples are obtained from research completed over the past 13 years on the investigation of potential neuroprotective therapies for moderate brain injury after neonatal hypoxia-ischemia in the rat.

Influence of age on the cerebral lesions in an immature rat model of cerebral hypoxia–ischemia: a light microscopic study

Developmental Brain Research, 1997

The most frequently used model of neonatal cerebral hypoxia-ischemia consists of a 7-day postnatal rat model with combined common carotid artery ligation and hypoxemia. Neuropathologic studies have shown major differences between this 7-day postnatal rat model and a similar adult model in regard to overall cerebral vulnerability, type and distribution of lesions. It is not clear how and when during animals&#39; development these changes in cerebral vulnerability take place. To determine this we studied groups of rats of 2 to 30 postnatal days. The animals underwent unilateral common carotid artery ligation followed by breathing in 8% oxygen for 30, 60, 90, or 120 min and their brains were examined at 24- or 72-h recovery intervals. Due to resistance of 2-3-day-old rats to develop cerebral hypoxic-ischemic damage, 5% O2 was used instead of 8% O2. The results indicate that: (i) There is an overall increase in severity of cerebral lesions on the side of common carotid artery ligation between 2 and 7 postnatal days. There is also an increase in the frequency of cerebral lesions in developing animals with increasing age. (ii) Hippocampus is remarkably resistant to hypoxic-ischemic insult at 2-3 postnatal days but becomes progressively vulnerable, and by age 13 postnatal days hippocampal vulnerability far exceeds that of cortex. (iii) Cortical lesions change from predominantly columnar cell death to laminar selective neuronal death at age 13 postnatal days. (iv) Also significant changes occur in relative vulnerability of various hippocampal regions during development. During the first 5 postnatal days relative vulnerability of hippocampal regions is similar, but as the animals&#39; development proceeds and hippocampal vulnerability increases lesions tend to involve specific regions while sparing others. By age 13 postnatal days CA1 and lateral CA3 develop increased vulnerability while medial CA3 and fascia dentata become relatively resistant and by 21 postnatal days adult pattern of CA1 selective vulnerability is approached. The underlying mechanisms for these changes in regional vulnerability to cerebral hypoxia-ischemia during development should be sought in complex regional anatomic, functional, and metabolic alterations that take place as brain matures.

Evaluation of neuronal cell death after a new global ischemia model in infant mice

Brain Edema XII, 2003

General review Concept and pathogenesis of "hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy" p. Pathophysiology of traumatic brain edema: current concepts p. Brain edema from intracerebral hemorrhage p. Hydrostatic brain edema: basic mechanisms and clinical aspect p. Non-invasive imaging methods for the characterization of the pathophysiology of brain ischemia p. Cecile & Oskar Vogt: The significance of their contributions in modern neuroscience p. Imaging Estimating blood-brain barrier opening in a rat model of hemorrhagic transformation with Patlak plots of Gd-DTPA contrast-enhanced MRI p. Recent development of MR imaging technique for the investigation of brain function p. Energy metabolism and cerebral blood flow during cytotoxic brain edema induced by 6-aminonicotinamide p. PET neuroreceptor imaging as predictor of severe cerebral ischemic insult p.

Analysis of neuronal, glial, endothelial, axonal and apoptotic markers following moderate therapeutic hypothermia and anesthesia in the developing piglet brain

Brain pathology (Zurich, Switzerland), 2008

Hypothermia (HT) by whole body (WBC) or selective head cooling (SHC) reduces hypoxic-ischemic (HI) brain injury; however, whether prolonged hypothermia and/or anesthesia disrupts immature brain development, eg, increases apoptosis, is unknown. Anesthesia increases apoptosis in immature animals. We investigated whether neuroprotective hypothermia and anesthesia disrupts normal brain development. Thirty-eight pigs <24 h old were randomized between five groups and were killed after 72 h: eighteen received a global hypoxic-ischemic insult under anesthesia, eight subsequently cooled by SHC with WBC to T(rectal) 34.5 degrees C for 24 h, followed by 48 h normothermia (NT) at T(rectal) 39.0 degrees C, while 10 remained normothermic. Sixteen underwent anesthetized sham hypoxic-ischemic, six then following normothermia and 10 following hypothermia protocols. There were four normothermic controls. The hypothermia groups demonstrated significant brain hypothermia. In the hypoxic-ischemic gro...

Secondary Energy Failure After Cerebral Hypoxia???Ischemia in the Immature Rat

Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow & Metabolism, 2004

A delayed or secondary energy failure occurs during recovery from perinatal cerebral hypoxia-ischemia. The question remains as to whether the energy failure causes or accentuates the ultimate brain damage or is a consequence of cell death. To resolve the issue, 7-day postnatal rats underwent unilateral common carotid artery occlusion followed thereafter by systemic hypoxia with 8% oxygen for 2.5 hours. During recovery, the brains were quick frozen and individually processed for histology and the measurements of 1) high-energy phosphate reserves and 2) neuronal (MAP-2, SNAP-25) and glial (GFAP) proteins. Phosphocreatine (PCr) and ATP, initially depleted during hypoxia-ischemia, were partially restored during the first 18 hours of recovery, with secondary depletions at 24 and 48 hours. During the initial recovery phase (6 to 18 hours), there was a significant correlation between PCr and the histology score (0 to 3), but not for ATP. During the late recovery phase, there was a highly significant correlation between all measured metabolites and the damage score. Significant correlation also exhibited between the neuronal protein markers, MAP-2 and SNAP-25, and PCr as well as the sum of PCr and Cr at both phases of recovery. No correlation existed between the high-energy reserves and the glial protein marker, GFAP. The close correspondence of PCr to histologic brain damage and the loss of MAP-2 and SNAP-25 during both the early and late recovery intervals suggest evolving cellular destruction as the primary event, which precedes and leads to the secondary energy failure.