Regional brain blood flow in the conscious gerbil

Blood-brain barrier penetration of felbamate

The brain uptake index (BUI) method of Oldendorf was used to examine blood-brain barrier (BBB) drug transport in mice, rats, and rabbits; felbamate (FBM) extraction (E) in a single transcapillary passage was 5-20%, and drug uptake in rat brain was not concentration-dependent. Like diazepam, FBM was retained in mouse brain. To ensure that radioactivity measurements reflected the disposition of parent drug and not some metabolite, extracts of mouse brain were prepared for further analysis. No FBM metabolites were detected in brain 5 min after administration: In silica gel thin-layer chromatography (TLC), a single [14C]FBM peak was detected--Rf = 0.504 (70:30 acetone:hexane). Confirmatory high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) separations [30% methanol, 1.3 ml/min, C18 column, ultraviolet (UV) detection 254 nm] indicated a single peak containing greater than 93% of the radioactivity in the FBM fraction (12-min retention time). In a single transit through the liver (a nonbarrier tissue with fenestrated capillaries), FBM E was 82%. The octanol:buffered saline partition coefficient of FBM was (log PFBM =) 0.54 +/- 0.01. Thus, lipid-mediated BBB penetration of FBM is similar to that of phenytoin (PHT) and phenobarbital (PB). Plasma proteins do not affect FBM entry to the brain: neither human serum, nor bovine or human serum albumin (BSA, HSA), nor human alpha 1 acid glycoprotein (orosomucoid) significantly modified BBB FBM extraction. Erythrocyte-borne FBM may also dissociate and gain access to the brain in a single transcapillary passage. Differences between newborn and adult rabbit BBB FBM extraction and between different anesthetic agents are attributable to cerebral blood flow (CBF) rates. The permeability-surface area products (PS = [CBF].[E]) for FBM in rats, rabbits, and mice were 0.09, 0.16 and 0.30 ml/min/g, respectively. Preliminary autoradiographic analyses of frozen brain sections suggest that [14C]FBM distributes relatively uniformly throughout the brain and that minor variations apparently are a function of differing CBF rates.

Effects of intra-ischemic blood pressure on outcome from 2-vessel occlusion forebrain ischemia in the rat

Halothane anesthetized Sprague-Dawley rats underwent 10 min of bilateral carotid artery occlusion with mean arterial pressure (MAP) held at 30, 50 or 60 mmHg. Sham rats did not undergo ischemia. A 7-day recovery interval was allowed. Intra-ischemic electroencephalographic (EEG) changes, behavioral function (Days 5-7), and histologic injury (Day 7) were evaluated. Under similar conditions, cerebral blood flow was determined after 10 min ischemia by the [3H]nicotine indicator fractionation technique. EEG isoelectricity was observed in 11 of 11, 5 of 10, and 2 of 11 rats in the 30 mmHg, 50 mmHg, and 60 mmHg groups respectively. Neither passive avoidance cross-over latencies nor general motor scores were affected by intra-ischemic MAP and no differences from sham performance were observed. The per cent of CA1 neurons counted as dead (left and right hemispheres combined) was significantly affected by intra-ischemic MAP (72, 46 and 28% in the 30 mmHg, 50 mmHg, and 60 mmHg groups, respectively; P less than 0.001). A greater than 50% CA1 neuronal mortality rate was present only in those rats exhibiting EEG isoelectricity. However, the number of rats demonstrating greater than a 25% interhemispheric difference in CA1 neuronal loss was greatest in the 50 mmHg group (P less than 0.02). Hippocampal blood flow decreased in association with severity of hypotension (8 +/- 1, 35 +/- 8, and 48 +/- 2 ml/100 g/min (mean +/- S.E.M.) for 30, 50, and 60 mmHg, respectively; P less than 0.01). Again, however, the greatest variability in blood flow was observed at MAP = 50 mmHg.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The CBF threshold and dynamics for focal cerebral infarction in spontaneously hypertensive rats

Two strategies were used to estimate the blood flow threshold for focal cerebral infarction in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) subjected to permanent middle cerebral artery and common carotid artery occlusion (MCA/CCAO). The first compared the volume of cortical infarction (24 h after ischemia onset) to the volumes of ischemic cortex (image analysis of [14C]iodoantipyrine CBF autoradiographs) perfused below CBF values less than 50 (VIC50) and less than 25 ml 100 g-1 min-1 (VIC25) at serial intervals during the first 3 h of ischemia. The infarct process becomes irreversible within 3 h in this model. In the second, measurements of CBF at the border separating normal from infarcted cortex at 24 h after ischemia onset were used as an index of the threshold. During the first 3 h of ischemia, VIC50 increased slightly to reach a maximum size at 3 h that closely matched the 24 h infarct volume. VIC25, in contrast, consistently underestimated the infarct volume by a factor of 2-3. CBF at the 24 h infarct border averaged 50 ml 100 g-1 min -1. Taken together, the results indicate that the CBF threshold for infarction in SHRs approaches 50 ml 100 g-1 min-1 when ischemia persists for greater than or equal to 3 h. This threshold value is approximately three times higher than in primates. Since cortical neuronal density is also threefold greater in rats than in primates, the higher injury threshold in the rat may reflect a neuronal primacy in determining the brain's susceptibility to partial ischemia.

The role of electrode size on the incidence of spreading depression and on cortical cerebral blood flow as measured by H2 clearance

Cerebral blood flow was measured by the H2 clearance method 30 and 60 min after the implantation of 300, 250, 125, or 50 microns diameter platinum-iridium electrodes 2 mm deep into the right parietal cortex of normothermic, normocarbic halothane-anesthetized rats. Another group of animals had 50 microns electrodes inserted 1 mm. In all animals, the presence or absence of a wave of spreading depression (SD) was noted at the time of implantation, with recordings made with glass micropipettes. H2 flow values were compared with those measured in gray matter from the same anatomical region (but from different rats), using [3H]nicotine. The incidence of SD ranged from 60% following insertion of 300 microns electrodes to 0% with 50 microns electrodes. H2 clearance flows also varied with electrode size, from 77 +/- 21 ml 100 g-1 min-1 (mean +/- standard deviation) with 300 microns electrodes to 110 +/- 31 and 111 +/- 16 ml 100 g-1 min-1 with 125 and 50 microns electrodes, respectively (insertion depth of 2 mm). A CBF value of 155 +/- 60 ml 100 g-1 min-1 was obtained with 50 micron electrodes inserted only 1 mm. Cortical gray matter blood flow measured with [3H]nicotine was 154 +/- 35 ml 100 g-1 min-1. When the role of SD in subsequent flow measurements was examined, there was a gradual increase in CBF between 30 and 60 min after electrode insertion in those animals with SD, while no such change was seen in rats without SD.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Quantitative in vivo receptor binding. IV: Detection of muscarinic receptor down-regulation by equilibrium and by tracer kinetic methods

Newly-developed methods for estimation of in vivo binding to neurotransmitter receptors should enable the detection and quantification of physiologic or pathologic changes in receptor numbers. In the present study, both equilibrium and kinetic experimental strategies for in vivo muscarinic receptor determination were applied to the detection of receptor changes induced by chronic inhibition of acetylcholinesterase in the rat. Following one week of treatment, in vitro receptor autoradiography utilizing [3H]scopolamine revealed significant losses of muscarinic binding in the cerebral cortex, hippocampus, striatum and in cranial nerve motor nuclei. The in vivo distribution of [3H]scopolamine, following infusion to approach equilibrium binding in the brain, revealed reductions in binding which paralleled the pattern and magnitude of changes detected in vitro. A simplified tracer kinetic estimation following bolus injection of the ligand also detected substantial reductions in forebrain muscarinic receptor binding. These results indicate the feasibility of detecting receptor changes underlying neuropathologic conditions in vivo, and suggest that either equilibrium or kinetic experimental approaches may be extended to clinical research applications with the use of positron or single-photon emission tomography.

Cerebral blood flow with the indicator fractionation of [14C]iodoantipyrine: effect of PaCO2 on cerebral venous appearance time

The indicator fractionation technique using a diffusible indicator as a tracer for the determination of CBF has been used for numerous investigations of the cerebral circulation and its pathophysiology. The diffusible tracer is "trapped" in the brain based on the proper delay between tracer injection and cessation of the cerebral circulation by decapitation before the appearance of the tracer in the cerebral venous circulation. If this delay is too long, the quantitative assumption of the indicator fractionation technique will not be met, and CBF values will be underestimated. In 13 Sprague-Dawley rats anesthetized with pentobarbital, the appearance of [14C]iodoantipyrine at the torcular was assessed as a function of PaCO2. An inverse linear relationship between PaCO2 (in millimeters of mercury) and cerebral venous appearance, Ta (in seconds), was established with the regression equation Ta = -0.0842.PaCO2 + 12.3 (R2 = 0.70, slope significantly different from zero, p less than 0.001). Ta varied between 5 and 12 s and PaCO2 varied between 84 and 18 mm Hg, respectively. Thus, in low-flow states, the decapitation time may be lengthened to 12 s, whereas in high-flow states, the time must be 5 s to eliminate the possibility of backflux of tracer out of the brain.

Cerebrovascular and metabolic effects on the rat brain of focal Nd:YAG laser irradiation

To investigate the effects of focal neodymium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Nd:YAG) laser irradiation (lambda = 1060 nm) on regional cerebral blood flow, cerebral protein synthesis, and blood-brain barrier permeability, the parietal brain surface of 44 rats was irradiated with a focused laser beam at a constant output energy of 30 J. Survival times ranged from 5 minutes to 48 hours. Laser irradiation immediately caused well-defined cortical coagulation necrosis. Within 5 minutes after unilateral irradiation, 14C-iodoantipyrine autoradiographs demonstrated severely reduced blood flow to the irradiation site and perilesional neocortex, but a distinct reactive hyperemia in all other areas of the forebrain. Apart from a persistent ischemic focus in the vicinity of the cortical coagulation necrosis, blood flow alterations in remote areas of the brain subsided within 3 hours after irradiation. Autoradiographic assessment of 3H-tyrosine incorporation into brain proteins revealed rapid onset and prolonged duration of protein synthesis inhibition in perifocal morphologically intact cortical and subcortical structures. Impairment of amino acid incorporation proved to be completely reversible within 48 hours. Immunoautoradiographic visualization of extravasated plasma proteins using 3H-labeled rabbit anti-rat immunoglobulins-showed that, up to 1 hour after irradiation, immunoreactive proteins were confined to the neocortex at the irradiation site. At 4 hours, vasogenic edema was present in the vicinity of the irradiation site and the subcortical white matter, and, at later stages (16 to 36 hours), also extended into the contralateral hemisphere. Although this was followed by a gradual decrease in labeling intensity, resolution of edema was still not complete after 48 hours. Analysis of sequential functional changes in conjunction with morphological alterations indicates that the evolution of morphological damage after laser irradiation does not correlate with the time course and spatial distribution of protein synthesis inhibition or vasogenic edema. Although the central coagulation necrosis represents a direct effect of radiation, the final size of the laser-induced lesion is determined by a delayed colliquation necrosis due to persistent perifocal ischemia. Extent and severity of ischemia in a zone with initial preservation of neuroglial cells can be explained by the optical properties of the Nd:YAG laser; extensive scattering of light within brain parenchyma associated with a high blood-to-brain absorption ratio selectively affects blood vessels outside the irradiation focus.

Nimodipine pretreatment improves cerebral blood flow and reduces brain edema in conscious rats subjected to focal cerebral ischemia

The effect of nimodipine pretreatment on CBF and brain edema was studied in conscious rats subjected to 2.5 h of focal cortical ischemia. An infusion of nimodipine (2 micrograms/kg/min i.v.) or its vehicle, polyethylene glycol 400, was begun 2 h before the ischemic interval and was continued throughout the survival period. Under brief halothane anesthesia, the animals' right middle cerebral and common carotid arteries were permanently occluded, and 2.5 h later, they underwent a quantitative CBF study ([14C]iodoantipyrine autoradiography followed by Quantimet 970 image analysis). Nimodipine treatment improved blood flow to the middle cerebral artery territory without evidence of a "vascular steal" and reduced the volume of the ischemic core (cortex with CBF of less than 25 ml/100 g/min) and accompanying edema by approximately 50% when compared with controls (p = 0.006 and 0.0004, respectively). Mild hypotension induced by nimodipine did not aggravate the ischemic insult. The ischemic core volumes, however, were 50-75% smaller than the 24-h infarct volumes generated in a similar paradigm that demonstrated 20-30% infarct reduction with continuous nimodipine treatment. These results suggest that nimodipine pretreatment attenuates the severity of early focal cerebral ischemia, but that with persistent ischemia, cortex surrounding the ischemic core undergoes progressive infarction and the early benefit of nimodipine treatment is only partly preserved.

Local cerebral blood flow during and after bilateral carotid artery occlusion in unanesthetized gerbils

Using [14C]iodoantipyrine autoradiography, we measured regional cerebral blood flow in unanesthetized gerbils subjected to 2 (n = 5) or 30 (n = 6) minutes of bilateral carotid artery occlusion or 5 (n = 6), 30 (n = 6), or 120 (n = 5) minutes of reflow after 30 minutes of occlusion. Blood pressure, respiratory rate, and blood gases were recorded, and these and other gerbils were evaluated with periodic neurologic examinations. Blood flow to structures above the level of the diencephalon ceased almost totally during occlusion. The lateral thalamus, the rostral three quarters of the hypothalamus, and the superior colliculi were also markedly ischemic. Blood flow to the brainstem and cerebellum was only slightly affected. After release of the occlusion, blood flow was restored in some of the affected areas but to levels somewhat below that in eight sham-operated gerbils. In several areas, principally column-shaped areas in the cortex as well as patchy areas in other structures, blood flow did not recover. This inhomogeneous blood flow distribution lasted at least 30 minutes after release of the occlusion. Thereafter, the inhomogeneity slowly disappeared in such a manner that blood flow to originally well reperfused areas appeared to decrease while that to poorly reperfused areas increased. During reflow, blood flow in the brainstem and cerebellum slowly and continuously decreased. We show that there is an early no-reflow phenomenon that is inhomogeneous and appears to be of vascular origin and lasts approximately 30 minutes after release of the occlusion.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Chronic cerebral blood flow changes following experimental subarachnoid hemorrhage in rats

Experimental subarachnoid hemorrhage was induced in 52 adult male Wistar rats by microsurgical transclival basilar artery puncture. Telencephalic blood flow measured in 24 rats with subarachnoid hemorrhage was compared with that in 23 sham-operated rats and 10 unoperated control rats using the [14C]butanol indicator fractionation technique. Telencephalic blood flow was significantly less in the rats with subarachnoid hemorrhage than in the sham-operated rats 3 (78.7 +/- 6.9 [n = 7] and 112.0 +/- 8.5 [n = 8] ml/100 g/min, respectively; p less than 0.01), 7 (74.9 +/- 5.1 [n = 9] and 112.6 +/- 4.6 [n = 8] ml/100 g/min, p less than 0.001), and 14 (81.9 +/- 6.0 [n = 8] and 104.1 +/- 5.4 [n = 7] ml/100 g/min, p less than 0.01) days after surgery. Telencephalic blood flow in unoperated controls (114.7 +/- 4.9 ml/100 g/min) did not differ significantly from sham-operated rats. Clinically, the 52 rats with subarachnoid hemorrhage were indistinguishable from 32 sham-operated rats. Postmortem examinations in 10 rats used in a preliminary investigation demonstrated significant blood clot in the basal cisterns 2 hours after basilar artery puncture. Intracranial pressure was slightly elevated (2.3 mm Hg over baseline) 30 minutes after the hemorrhage (n = 7), but when measured 3 (n = 3) or 7 (n = 3) days after surgery it had returned to baseline. Histologic examination of the brains from 10 rats subjected to subarachnoid hemorrhage 7 (n = 5) or 14 (n = 5) days before sacrifice revealed no evidence of cerebral ischemia or vasculopathic changes in the cerebral arteries.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Decrease in perfusion of cerebral capillaries during incomplete ischemia and reperfusion

The effect of unilateral, incomplete cerebral ischemia on CBF, unidirectional flux of alpha-aminoisobutyric acid (AIB) and sodium, and number of perfused capillaries during ischemia and reperfusion was measured in the cortex of gerbils with symptomatic ischemia. Three hours of unilateral carotid occlusion reduced the CBF to the ipsilateral cortex by 81%, with a smaller 30% decrease in the contralateral cortex. Following 11 min of reperfusion, CBF in the ipsilateral cortex returned to the preischemic value, while the contralateral blood flow decreased to 50% of control. The transfer constants for AIB and sodium in the ipsilateral cortex were reduced by 67 and 53%, respectively, after 3 h of ischemia, with no change in the contralateral cortex. The transfer constant for AIB remained decreased by 48% during the first 20 min of reperfusion, while that for sodium returned to its control value. The number of perfused capillaries was reduced 54% by 3 h of ischemia and remained decreased by 20% after 11 min of reperfusion. These data indicate that 3 h of unilateral carotid occlusion reduces the number of perfused capillaries in the ipsilateral cortex during the ischemic period. Further, the early reperfusion phase is characterized by a mismatch between capillary perfusion and CBF. Finally, early in the postischemic phase, sodium transport undergoes a selective stimulation, probably as a result of stimulation of ion transport.

Continuous measurement of cerebral cortical blood flow by laser-Doppler flowmetry in a rat stroke model

Laser-Doppler flowmetry (LDF), a new method allowing instantaneous, continuous, and noninvasive measurements of microcirculatory blood flow in a small tissue sample, was evaluated for its accuracy in monitoring regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in the cortical microcirculation after focal cerebral ischemia. Wistar and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR, n = 19) were subjected to permanent occlusion of the middle cerebral and common carotid arteries. Absolute rCBF in a tissue sample of the ischemic hemisphere was measured autoradiographically with [14C]iodoantipyrine as a tracer and compared to rCBF measured by LDF. Additionally, the percent change in rCBF between baseline and ischemic values was compared for both methods. Absolute rCBF values recorded with LDF correlated poorly (r = 0.54) with [14C]iodoantipyrine measurements. In contrast LDF readings expressed as a percentage of ischemic vs. preocclusion readings (relative LDF readings) correlated very well (r = 0.91) with the percent change in [14C]iodoantipyrine measurements. We conclude that LDF does not provide accurate measurements of absolute rCBF values but this method allows accurate measurements of changes in rCBF due to induction of focal cerebral ischemia.

Effect of thromboxane synthase inhibition on eicosanoid levels and blood flow in ischemic rat brain

Reperfusion of ischemic brain is associated with production of thromboxane A2 (TXA2), a proaggregatory vasoconstrictor. We used an animal model of transient forebrain ischemia to study the effects of 1-benzylimidazole (1-BI), a selective inhibitor of thromboxane synthase, upon cerebral eicosanoid levels and cerebral blood flow. Male Wistar rats were subjected to 30 minutes of four-vessel occlusion. The mean +/- SEM brain level of TXB2, the stable metabolite of TXA2, determined after 60 minutes of reperfusion was 101 +/- 20 pg/mg brain protein in five ischemic control rats. Infusion of 10 micrograms/g 1-BI reduced mean +/- SEM cerebral TXB2 concentration to 11 +/- 3 pg/mg brain protein in five rats (p less than or equal to 0.002). Mean +/- SEM hemispheric cerebral blood flow measured in four ischemic control rats after 60 minutes of reperfusion was 42 +/- 9 ml/100 g brain/min compared with 104 +/- 13 ml/100 g brain/min in three 1-BI-treated rats (p less than or equal to 0.001). Mean +/- SEM hippocampal blood flow in four ischemic control rats after 60 minutes of reperfusion was 51 +/- 14 ml/100 g brain/min compared with 125 +/- 25 ml/100 g brain/min in three 1-BI-treated rats (p less than or equal to 0.04). We conclude that selective inhibition of thromboxane synthase may alleviate ischemic brain damage by reducing cerebral TXA2 concentrations and elevating cerebral blood flow.

The effect of hypothermia on regional spinal cord blood flow in rats

Spinal cord ischemia may accompany surgical procedures on the aorta or vertebral column. Regional spinal cord blood flow (SCBF) was measured at five vertebral levels in the spinal cords of pentobarbital-anesthetized rats based on the distribution of intravenously injected carbon-14-labeled butanol. In seven normal rats, mean SCBF (+/- standard error of the mean) ranged from 52.7 +/- 5.4 to 68.5 +/- 4.9 ml.min-1.100 gm-1 (depending on the level, being lowest at the thoracic levels) and mean arterial blood pressure (MABP) was 126 mm Hg. Corporal hypothermia (mean rectal temperature 28.1 degrees +/- 0.6 degrees C) was induced by cold exposure in seven other rats, and SCBF, measured immediately thereafter, was significantly elevated at all five levels by 52% to 69% compared to the normal group. However, MABP was elevated in the hypothermic group to 165 +/- 4 mm Hg (p less than 0.0001). Therefore, in seven additional hypothermic rats, MABP was maintained at the control level by withdrawal of arterial blood as necessary. In these animals, SCBF at all levels was still significantly elevated compared with the normal group and the values were nearly identical to those measured in the hypertensive hypothermic rats. It was concluded that hemodynamic autoregulation of SCBF is impaired in the presence of moderate systemic hypothermia in pentobarbital-anesthetized rats.

Effect of nimodipine on cerebral blood flow and metabolism in rats during hyperventilation

Nimodipine shws promise in the prevention and treatment of brain ischemia. We examined the interaction of nimodipine pretreatment in a dose sufficient to prevent postischemic hypoperfusion and hyperventilation. We studied four groups of rats: normocarbia plus vehicle (Group 1, n = 5), hypocarbia plus vehicle (Group 2, n = 4), normocarbia plus nimodipine (Group 3, n = 7), and hypocarbia plus nimodipine (Group 4, n = 6). Groups 3 and 4 received 1 mg/kg i.p. nimodipine, and Groups 1 and 2 received an equivalent amount of vehicle. Ventilation was left unaltered in Groups 1 and 3 or increased to lower PaCO2 to 21-24 mm Hg in Groups 2 and 4. Determination of regional cerebral glucose utilization (rCGU) was carried out using the [3H]2-deoxyglucose method, and regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) was determined by the indicator fractionation method using [14C]iodoantipyrine. The brain regions studied were the cerebral hemispheres, the diencephalon, the cerebellum, and the brainstem. Hyperventilation in Groups 2 and 4 from approximately 38 to 22 mm Hg reduced rCBF to 60% of normocarbic levels (p less than 0.05). The slope and intercept of this response were similar in vehicle- and nimodipine-pretreated rats. Nimodipine modestly decreased mean arterial blood pressure by 20% and increased plasma glucose concentration by 60% (p less than 0.05). Although nimodipine tended to increase rCBF and decrease regional cerebrovascular resistance (rCVR), this was significant only for hemispheric rCVR (p less than 0.05). There was a borderline effect for nimodipine to increase rCGU, especially during hypocarbia.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Effect of acute electrode placement on regional CBF in the gerbil: a comparison of blood flow measured by hydrogen clearance, [3H]nicotine, and [14C]iodoantipyrine techniques

Regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) was compared in the gerbil by means of [3H]nicotine, [14C]-iodoantipyrine, and hydrogen clearance techniques. In agreement with other studies, nicotine and iodoantipyrine methods gave virtually identical results. With these methods, it was observed that a reduction in blood flow occurred shortly after insertion of an electrode into the striatum for hydrogen clearance measurement, affecting rCBF throughout the impaled hemisphere. The reduction was moderate (30%) in the striatum and hippocampus, but much greater (70%) in cortical regions. Identical deficits were observed following brief penetrations involving only cortex. Following chronic electrode placement in the striatum, regional blood flow values obtained with [3H]nicotine returned to the control range within 6 h. Blood flow estimates obtained in the striatum with the implanted electrode increased with a similar time course, so that by 6-24 h, hydrogen clearance gave values indistinguishable from control values obtained with [3H]nicotine. These results clearly demonstrate that reduction of CBF subsequent to electrode placement can account for the low values frequently obtained with the hydrogen clearance method in small animals. The distribution of the deficit and the time course of its recovery are similar to blood flow changes associated with spreading depression. While mechanisms responsible for this effect remain to be fully identified, chronic implantation is a practical solution that allows the continued use of hydrogen clearance as a convenient method for repeated measurement of blood flow in the same animal.

Regional depletion of adenosine triphosphate, phosphocreatine, and glucose in ischemic hippocampus

The selective vulnerability of pyramidal neurons in the CA1 hippocampal region in ischemic rat brain may be preceded by regional alterations of energy metabolism during early reperfusion. We measured ATP, phosphocreatine (PCr), and glucose in paramedian and lateral CA1 and in an area showing little postischemic cell loss, CA2. ATP levels in paramedian CA1 were depressed immediately after 30 min of ischemia (P less than or equal to 0.02) and remained abnormal after 2 hr of reperfusion (P less than or equal to 0.05). PCr was reduced substantially in both subdivisions of CA1 immediately after ischemia (P less than or equal to 0.04) but returned to normal levels after 2 hr. Glucose levels were depressed in paramedian CA1 and CA2 after ischemia (P less than or equal to 0.02) but corrected with reperfusion. We determined approximately P, the sum of ATP and PCr, in separate experiments investigating regional differences in consumption of high-energy phosphate metabolites during complete ischemia. The approximately P levels of rats subjected to 30 min of reversible ischemia followed by 2 hr of reperfusion showed a different pattern of regional differences from those seen in sham-ischemic animals (P less than or equal to 0.01), indicating a persistent depression of metabolic rate in CA1 during reperfusion. We conclude that regional depletion of high-energy phosphates and alteration of metabolic rate may contribute to the selective vulnerability of the CA1 region during brain ischemia.

Focal brain ischemia in the rat: methods for reproducible neocortical infarction using tandem occlusion of the distal middle cerebral and ipsilateral common carotid arteries

This article describes a 3-year experience with focal neocortical ischemia in three rat strains. Multiple groups of adult Wistar (n = 50), Fisher 344 (n = 31), and spontaneously hypertensive (n = 72) rats were subjected to permanent occlusion of the distal middle cerebral (MCA) and ipsilateral common carotid arteries (CCA). Twenty-four hours later the animals were killed, and frozen brain sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin to demarcate infarcted tissue. The infarct volume for each section was quantified with an image analyzer, and the total infarct volume was calculated with an iterative program that summed all interval volumes. Neocortical infarct volume was the largest and most reproducible in the spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Statistical power analysis to project the numbers of animals necessary to detect a 25 or 50% change in infarct volume with alpha = 0.05 and beta = 0.2 revealed that only the SHR model was practical in terms of requisite animals: i.e., less than 10 animals per group. Tandem occlusion of the distal MCA and ipsilateral CCA in the SHR strain provides a surgically simple method for causing large neocortical infarcts with reproducible topography and volume. The interanimal variability in infarct volume that occurs even in the SHR strain dictates that randomized, concomitant controls are necessary in each study to ensure the accurate assessment of experimental manipulations or pharmacologic therapies.

Subarachnoid hemorrhage fails to produce vasculopathy or chronic blood flow changes in rats

Cerebral blood flow was measured by a [14C]butanol indicator fractionation technique in rats subjected to subarachnoid hemorrhage, in control rats, and in rats given injections of buffered saline into the subarachnoid space (sham hemorrhage). Cerebral blood flow was significantly decreased in both the subarachnoid hemorrhage and sham hemorrhage rats 3 hours after injection. However, blood flow returned to control levels by 24 hours, and measurement for 14 days after subarachnoid hemorrhage failed to show any delayed decrease in cerebral blood flow. Electron microscopic studies of basilar arteries from rats subjected to subarachnoid hemorrhage 72 hours before killing failed to show any of the morphologic changes that have been associated with vasospasm in humans or in higher animal models. Our studies indicate that the rat model of subarachnoid hemorrhage has limited applicability to the study of subarachnoid hemorrhage following ruptured cerebral aneurysms in humans. However, although rats are not a perfect model of this clinical condition, some pathophysiologic changes similar to those observed in human subarachnoid hemorrhage have been demonstrated in this model and deserve further investigation.

Allocation of systemic glucose output to cerebral utilization as a function of fetal canine growth

To determine whether the neonatal canine brain consumes a major proportion of the systemic glucose production, we investigated the cerebral glucose requirement and hepatic glucose production in beagle pups. Sixteen pups received D-[6-3H]-glucose to determine systemic glucose production. Cerebral blood flow was measured by [N-methyl-14C]antipyrine, and the brain uptake index (BUI) of glucose was determined using 2-[14C]deoxy-D-glucose. Glucose production was 49.6 +/- 11.0 mumol.kg-1.min-1. Cerebral blood flow was 0.83 ml.g-1.min-1; cerebral uptake of glucose was 0.60 +/- 0.15 mumol.g-1.min-1. Of the total glucose production 36.6 +/- 7.9% was accounted for by the cerebral uptake of glucose. Brain-to-body weight and brain-to-liver weight ratios were the greatest in the smallest pups, suggesting brain sparing. The effect of growth status on cerebral substrate availability could not be correlated with cerebral uptake of glucose or oxygen or with systemic glucose production. However, the percentage of systemic glucose production allotted to the cerebral cortex increased with increasing body weight (r = 0.50, P less than 0.05). Cerebral glucose entry measured by BUI was demonstrated to be 0.108 +/- 0.014; BUI inversely correlated with canine birth weight (r = -0.832, P less than 0.001). We conclude that the percentage of glucose production utilized by the neonatal canine brain is not proportionately larger in the smaller pups despite a proportionately larger brain. Because the absolute cerebral glucose utilization may be static, we speculate that BUI (glucose entry) may be less of a rate-limiting factor for cerebral glucose entry in the smallest pups.

Efficacy and mechanism of action of a calcium channel blocker after global cerebral ischemia in rats

Dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers such as nicardipine are under evaluation for treating acute cerebral ischemia because they may increase cerebral blood flow by causing vasodilation and because they may be cytoprotective in part by limiting production of arachidonic acid metabolites. We demonstrated in a previous study that nicardipine improves postischemic neuronal function, as measured by somatosensory evoked potentials, without reducing the extent of light-microscopic CA-1 hippocampal histologic damage. To characterize further the effect of nicardipine on global ischemic injury, we administered the drug beginning 24 hours before 30 minutes of four-vessel ischemia in Wistar rats. We then measured hippocampal ATP, phosphocreatine, and glucose contents immediately and 2 hours after ischemia, and measured learning ability (working and reference errors) on an eight-arm radial maze beginning 30 days after ischemia. To gain insight into the possible mechanism of action, we measured production of arachidonic acid metabolites (eicosanoids: TXB2 and 6-keto-PGF1 alpha) and hemispheric and hippocampal cerebral blood flow by the [14C]butanol indicator fractionation technique immediately and 2 hours after ischemia. Nicardipine was associated with fewer working errors (p less than 0.02) but no difference in reference errors. The drug had no effect on energy metabolites, cerebral blood flow, or eicosanoids immediately after ischemia, but ATP, phosphocreatine, and cerebral blood flow all returned to normal levels significantly more rapidly during reperfusion in treated rats. Nicardipine improves behavioral, electrophysiologic, and mitochondrial function after ischemia without preventing cellular damage and improves postischemic reperfusion. The drug's positive effect appears to occur during reperfusion.

Experimental model for repetitive ischemic attacks in the gerbil: the cumulative effect of repeated ischemic insults

An experimental model for repeated ischemic attacks, which allows easy induction of cerebral ischemia of any desired duration and frequency, has been developed in the gerbil. With this procedure, a pronounced cumulative effect on development of edema and tissue injury was observed using 3 separate, 5-min bilateral occlusions of the common carotid arteries spaced at various time intervals. This effect was most evident when the occlusions were carried out at 1-h intervals, i.e., during the period of marked postischemic hypoperfusion. Such animals, killed after 24 h of recirculation, showed significantly more severe edema and brain tissue injury in the areas exposed to ischemia than was observed in animals killed 24 h after single 5- or 15-min occlusions. The changes of regional CBF, assayed with a [3H]nicotine method, indicated a relatively rapid onset of hypoperfusion of similar degree after each release of arterial occlusion. The hypoperfusion recovered significantly within 6 h of recirculation following either single or multiple occlusions, and no residual hypoperfusion was observed in animals which, when killed at 24 h, showed severe edema and brain tissue injury. This model should prove useful in elucidating the pathophysiological mechanisms operative in repetitive cerebral ischemia.

The effect of hypoxia on traumatic head injury in rats: alterations in neurologic function, brain edema, and cerebral blood flow

We evaluated the effects of early posttraumatic hypoxia on neurologic function, magnetic resonance images (MRI), brain tissue specific gravities, and cerebral blood flow (CBF) in head-injured rats. By itself, an hypoxic insult (PaO2 40 mm Hg for 30 min) had little effect on any measure of cerebral function. After temporal fluid-percussion impact injury, however, hypoxia significantly increased morbidity. Of rats subjected to impact (4.9 +/- 0.3 atm) plus hypoxia, 71% had motor weakness contralateral to the impact side 24 h after injury, while only 29% of rats subjected to impact alone had demonstrable weakness (p less than 0.05). Lesions observed on MR images 24 h after injury were restricted to the impact site in rats with impact injury alone, but extensive areas with longer T1 relaxation times were observed throughout the ipsilateral cortex in rats with impact injury and hypoxic insult. Brain tissue specific gravity measurements indicated that much more widespread and severe edema developed in rats with impact injury and hypoxia. [14C]Iodoantipyrine autoradiography performed 24 h after injury showed that there was extensive hypoperfusion of the entire ipsilateral cortex in rats with impact injury and hypoxia. These results show that large areas of impact-injured brain are extremely vulnerable to secondary insults that can irreparably damage neural tissue, and provide experimental evidence for the observed adverse effects of hypoxia on outcome after human head injury.

Positron emission tomographic measurement of cerebral blood flow and permeability-surface area product of water using [15O]water and [11C]butanol

We have previously adapted Kety's tissue autoradiographic method for measuring regional CBF in laboratory animals to the measurement of CBF in humans with positron emission tomography (PET) and H2(15)O. Because this model assumes diffusion equilibrium between tissue and venous blood, the use of a diffusion-limited tracer, such as H2(15)O, may lead to an underestimation of CBF. We therefore validated the use of [11C]butanol as an alternative freely diffusible tracer for PET. We then used it in humans to determine the underestimation of CBF that occurs with H2(15)O, and thereby were able to calculate the extraction Ew and permeability-surface area product PSw of H2(15)O. Measurements of the permeability of rhesus monkey brain to [11C]butanol, obtained by means of an intracarotid injection, external detection technique, demonstrated that this tracer is freely diffusible up to a CBF of at least 170 ml/min-100 g. CBF measured in baboons with the PET autoradiographic method and [11C]butanol was then compared with CBF measured in the same animals with a standard residue detection method. An excellent correspondence was obtained between both of these measurements. Finally, paired PET measurements of CBF were made with both H2(15)O and [11C]butanol in 17 normal human subjects. Average global CBF was significantly greater when measured with [11C]butanol (53.1 ml/min-100 g) than with H2(15)O (44.4 ml/min-100 g). Average global Ew was 0.84 and global PSw was 104 ml/min-100 g. Regional measurements showed a linear relationship between local PSw and CBF, while Ew was relatively uniform throughout the brain. Simulations were used to determine the potential error associated with the use of an incorrect value for the brain-blood partition coefficient for [11C]butanol and to calculate the effect of tissue heterogeneity and errors in flow measurement on the calculation of PSw.

Radiolabeled hypoxic cell sensitizers: tracers for assessment of ischemia

Hypoxic, non-functional, but viable, tissue may exist in heart and brain following an arterial occlusion. Identification of such tissue in vivo is crucial to the development of effective treatment strategies. It has been suggested that certain compounds capable of sensitizing hypoxic tumor cells to killing by x-rays (i.e., misonidazole) might serve as in vivo markers of hypoxic tissue in ischemic myocardium or brain if properly radiolabeled. To this end we have radiolabeled two fluorinated analogs of nitroimidazole based hypoxic cell sensitizers with the 110 minute half-lived positron-emitting fluorine-18. The ability of these tracers to quantitate the presence of hypoxic tissue has been studied in a gerbil stroke model. The in vivo uptake of one of these tracers [F-18]-fluoronormethyoxymisonidazole is dependent on the extent of tissue hypoxia, and thus, appears to have potential as a diagnostic indicator of non-functional but viable tissue when the tracer is used in conjunction with positron emission tomography.

Cerebral blood flow in the evolution of infarction following unilateral carotid artery occlusion in Mongolian gerbils

Cerebral blood flow (CBF) was measured in gerbils 2, 4, 7, and 12 hours after unilateral irreversible carotid artery ligation to determine if the delayed ischemic damage to nerve terminals that occurs over 8 hours after stroke could be due to changes in CBF. [14C]butanol (4.5 mu Ci in 45 microliter 0.9% saline) was injected into the femoral vein, and cpm accumulating in the cerebrum and in a catheter inserted in the abdominal aorta were measured. CBF (ml/100 g/min, mean +/- SEM) in sham-operated control gerbils was 108.4 +/- 37.5 in the left hemisphere and 123.8 +/- 37.1 in the right. CBF in the ischemic left cerebrum was 41.0 +/- 7.7 at 2 hours (n = 7), 21.6 +/- 7.2 at 4 hours (n = 4), 26.2 +/- 4.6 at 7 hours (n = 7), and 9.7 +/- 3.1 at 12 hours (n = 6). CBF in the nonligated right hemisphere was 115.0 +/- 15.3 at 2 hours, 70.4 +/- 23.3 at 4 hours, 80.4 +/- 14.6 at 7 hours, and 50.9 +/- 20.1 at 12 hours. As expected, CBF was significantly reduced in the ischemic left cerebral hemisphere compared with the nonligated right cerebral hemisphere at each time, but CBF in the ischemic left cerebral hemisphere was also significantly lower at 12 hours than at 2 hours (p = 0.002) and at 7 hours (p = 0.014). CBF in the nonligated right cerebral hemisphere was also lower at 12 hours than at 2 hours (p = 0.02). No changes in PCO2 or blood pressure accounted for these differences.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Blood flow in an experimental rat brain tumor by tissue equilibration and indicator fractionation

The tissue equilibration technique (Kety) was compared with the indicator fractionation technique for the measurement of blood flow to normal brain and an experimental brain tumor in the rat. The tumor was a cloned astrocytic glioma implanted in the cerebral hemisphere of F-344 rats. I-125 Iodoantipyrine, using a rising infusion for one minute, was used for the tissue equilibration technique. C-14 butanol, injected as a bolus 8 seconds before sacrifice, was used for the indicator fractionation technique. Samples were assayed using liquid scintillation counting and the iodoantipyrine results were regressed against the butanol results. For normal tissue R = 0.832, SEE = 0.115 ml/g/min, and Slope = 0.626. For tumor R = 0.796, SEE = 0.070 ml/g/min, and Slope = 0.441. The iodoantipyrine tissue/blood partition coefficient for normal hemisphere (gray and white matter) was 0.861 +/-0.037 (SD) and for tumor was 0.876 +/-0.042. The indicator fractionation technique with C-14 butanol underestimated blood flow in a consistent manner, probably because of incomplete extraction, early washout of activity from tissue and from evaporation of butanol during processing. Our experiments revealed no differences between tumor and normal brain tissue that might invalidate the comparison of iodoantipyrine blood flow results in brain tumors and surrounding normal brain.

Selective gene expression in focal cerebral ischemia

Regional patterns of protein synthesis were examined in rat cortex made ischemic by the occlusion of the right common carotid and middle cerebral arteries. At 2 h of ischemia, proteins were pulse labeled with intracortical injections of a mixture of [3H]leucine, [3H]isoleucine, and [3H]proline. Newly synthesized proteins were analyzed by two-dimensional gel fluorography, and the results correlated with local CBF, measured with [14C]iodoantipyrine as tracer. Small blood flow reductions (CBF = 50-80 ml 100 g-1 min-1) were accompanied by a modest inhibition in synthesis of many proteins and a marked increase in one protein (Mr 27,000). With further reduction in blood flow (CBF = 40 ml 100 g-1 min-1), synthesis became limited to a small group of proteins (Mr 27,000, 34,000, 73,000, 79,000, and actin) including two new polypeptides (Mr 55,000 and 70,000). Severe ischemia (CBF = 15-25 ml 100 g-1 min-1) caused the isoelectric modification of several proteins (Mr 44,000, 55,000, and 70,000) and induced synthesis of another protein (Mr 40,000). Two polypeptides (Mr 27,000 and 70,000) dominated residual protein synthesis in severe ischemia. The changes in protein synthesis induced by different grades of ischemia most likely comprise a variation of the so-called "heat shock" or "stress" response found in all eukaryotic cells subjected to adverse conditions. Since heat shock genes are known to confer partial protection against anoxia and a variety of other noxious insults, their induction may be a factor in limiting the extent of ischemic tissue damage.

The gerbil: a unique model for research on aging

The Mongolian gerbil (Meriones unguicultatus) is suggested as a model for aging research because of its unique physiological attributes, ease of handling, and because of data previously collected. Factors that demonstrate the gerbils' suitability in fulfulling practical and scientific considerations important in determining a model for aging research are listed. Additionally, several unique physiological attributes of gerbils are described. Based on these attributes and on review of research in gerbils, it is suggested that gerbils can serve as animal models for behavioral and biological processes, and for normative and pathological aspects for aging.

Regional blood-brain barrier permeability to water and cerebral blood flow during status epilepticus: insensitivity to norepinephrine depletion

To test whether status epilepticus alters regional blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability to water when systemic hypertension is avoided, and whether central noradrenergic innervation contributes to the regulation of BBB in this setting, Wistar rats with unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine lesion of the nucleus locus coeruleus (LC) were subjected to 8 min of bicuculline-induced status epilepticus while ventilated with 100% oxygen; arterial normotension was preserved by withdrawal of arterial blood as required. Regional cerebral blood flow and permeability-times-surface-area product (PS) for water were measured by a double-label modification of the Kety integral strategy, with [14C]butanol and [3H]water, respectively. In normocapnic control rats, regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) was 1.92 +/- 0.57 ml/g/min and water extraction fraction was 0.81 +/- 0.08 (S.D.). Values in control rats breathing 100% oxygen were similar. During status epilepticus, rCBF increased two- to three-fold; water extraction fraction declined, but there were no significant side-to-side differences for either rCBF or regional PS product for water in LC-lesioned animals despite an 81% reduction of cortical norepinephrine content on the lesioned side. The PS product for water increased by 42% during status epilepticus, but the flow vs PS-product relationship did not depart from that predicted on the basis of data in control rats. Thus, when systemic hypertension is prevented, brief status epilepticus does not induce abnormal BBB permeability to water, and unilateral LC lesion fails to influence either rCBF or the cerebrovascular PS product for water.

A modified method for the simultaneous determination of regional single-transit brain extraction of diffusion-limited compounds and cerebral blood flow: utilization of non-invasive measurement of transit time

A dual-label radioisotope method to measure regional cerebral blood flow (CBF) with [14C]butanol and the single-transit brain extraction of [3H]water (Ew) was modified to permit concomittant measurement of the exit time through the cerebrovasculature of a bolus (BET) of 51chromium (51Cr)-labeled ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) in rodents. First, [51Cr]EDTA was injected intravenously via the femoral vein and its transit through cerebrovasculature determined by external gamma counting. The BET measurement was then used to determine the optimum time for animal sacrifice for subsequent measurement of CBF and Ew to minimize both intravascular contamination and washout of butanol and water. This procedure resulted in higher CBF at moderate hypercapnia and slightly lower Ew as a function of arterial CO2 content than previously found using a fixed interval for sacrifice.

Fibrinogen, blood viscosity, and cerebral ischemia

This study examines the effect of fibrinogen and consequent blood viscosity reduction on cerebral blood flow and cellular injury following severe cerebral ischemia for 30 minutes in 78 Wistar rats. In half of these rats 10 to 15 cc's of blood was removed and replaced with a mixture of 5% albumin and autologous red blood cells maintaining a constant hematocrit but resulting in a 30% decrease in fibrinogen and corresponding reduction in viscosity. Fibrinogen reduction in a slight increase in baseline CBF and the elimination of post-ischemic hyperemia at 24 hours. Both study and control animals showed a similar decrease in CBF at 30 minutes and 2 hours. There was no significant difference in the severity of ischemic cellular change between the fibrinogen reduction group and controls, although there was a significant inverse relationship between the amount of viscosity change and severity of cellular injury within the treatment group. Fibrinogen reduction alone cannot significantly ameliorate ischemic injury in this model. Viscosity reduction therapy should include reduction of hematocrit and alteration of red cell deformability.

Regional comparisons of brain glucose influx

The regional influx of glucose across the blood-brain barrier and regional blood flow were studied simultaneously in conscious and restrained rats using the single pass bolus injection of [14C]butanol and [3H]D-glucose method. Glucose extraction by the cerebellum was about twice that of other brain regions. Thus, despite the lower cerebellar blood flow, the influx of glucose into the cerebellum was equivalent to that of the cerebral cortex and higher than that of the hippocampus over a wide range of plasma glucose concentrations. Because the local metabolic rate for glucose is higher in the cerebral cortex than in the cerebellum, the equal influx of glucose in these two regions means a relative oversupply of glucose to the cerebellum. In vivo analysis of blood to brain glucose transport kinetics showed similar plasma glucose concentrations at half-maximal transport (Kt) in brain regions that were studied. The values for Kt ranged between 4.4 and 5.1 mM. Maximal transport capability (Tmax), on the other hand, was similar in the cerebral cortex and cerebellum but significantly lower in the hippocampus (P less than 0.05). The higher ratio of glucose influx to glucose utilization in the cerebellum may explain the clinical and experimental findings of relative resistance of the cerebellum to hypoglycemia while the lower Tmax in the hippocampus may be the mechanism underlying its selective vulnerability during pathophysiologic conditions associated with marked increments in brain oxidative metabolism, such as status epilepticus.

A new model of transient hindbrain ischemia in gerbils

A model of transient hindbrain ischemia in Mongolian gerbils is described. The vertebrobasilar junction of gerbils was exposed by a transcervical approach through the space between the atlas and occipital bone. The origin of the basilar artery was occluded by a clip, and the local cerebral blood flow (CBF) was measured with carbon-14-iodoantipyrine autoradiography. This gerbil model produces ischemia in the thalamus, midbrain, pons, medulla, and cerebellum, where blood flow is supplied from the vertebrobasilar system. Recirculation of blood flow was easily accomplished by removing the clip. Local CBF returned to normal levels immediately after recirculation, then decreased at 30 minutes after recirculation (postischemic hypoperfusion). Almost no effects of local CBF in the forebrain structures were noted during and after hindbrain ischemia. The model may be useful to study the pathophysiological, metabolic, and histopathological effects of ischemia in the vertebrobasilar system.

Regional cerebral blood flow and stroke index after left carotid artery ligation in the conscious gerbil

We measured the regional cerebral blood flow in both hemispheres of Mongolian gerbils subjected to permanent left carotid artery ligation, using [3H]nicotine as the tracer. At 1, 3 and 6 h post-ligation, neurological signs were recorded and a stroke index score was tallied for each animal. In conscious control gerbils, mean cerebral blood flow on the left side was 1.10 +/- 0.08 (S.E.M.) ml X g-1 X min-1 at the cerebral cortex, 0.58 +/- 0.02 at the hippocampus and 0.69 +/- 0.04 at the diencephalon. Animals with a stroke index score exceeding 10 were considered symptomatic. We noted a close relationship between regional cerebral blood flow and the stroke index score. In symptomatic animals, regional cerebral blood flow in the ischemic hemisphere at 1, 3 and 6 h post-ligation was less than 0.21 ml X g-1 X min-1 at the cortex and diencephalon, and less than 0.09 ml X g-1 X min-1 at the hippocampus. We suggest that unilaterally ligated gerbils manifesting a stroke index score greater than 10 represent a good experimental model for the study of ischemia.

An evaluation of errors in the determination of blood flow by the indicator fractionation and tissue equilibration (Kety) methods

In this report, the effects of various errors and plasma time courses of indicator concentration on the accurate determination of cerebral blood flow (F) are theoretically analyzed for the tissue equilibration and the indicator fractionation techniques. For the indicator fractionation technique, the impact of sample timing and tissue assaying errors and of indicator backflux were examined; for the tissue equilibration method, errors in the value of the partition coefficient (lambda), sample timing, and tissue assaying were considered. The recommended ways to decrease the effects of errors in the indicator fractionation technique are to administer the indicator by an intravenous bolus and to sample the tissue about 10 s thereafter. Possible errors in the assessment of F by the tissue equilibration technique are diminished by using an indicator infusion schedule which yields a continuous rise in arterial concentration and by selecting a 30-s experiment duration. Surprisingly, the impact of sample timing errors is greater on the determination of F with the tissue equilibration method than with the indicator fractionation technique. For the chosen plasma time courses, there is always a backflux error in an indicator fractionation estimation of F, and this error increases as the flow rate increases. Thus, provided the sample timing and tissue assay errors are small and the value of lambda is known, the tissue equilibration method is the more accurate of the two. If lambda is unknown, then the indicator fractionation technique should be used. In many cases, the indicator fractionation method will provide as accurate an estimate of F as will the tissue equilibration method.

Comparative studies of regional CNS blood flow autoregulation and responses to CO2 in the cat. Effects of altering arterial blood pressure and PaCO2 on rCBF of cerebrum, cerebellum, and spinal cord

Autoregulation and CO2 responses were investigated concurrently in cerebrum, cerebellum, and spinal cord of 19 cats by means of hydrogen clearance. Under ketamine and nitrous oxide anesthesia at normal systemic mean arterial blood pressure (MABP 123 +/- 18.4 mmHg, mean +/- standard deviation) blood flow was 86 +/- 30.0 ml/100 g/min in the cerebrum, 48 +/- 13.6 ml/100 g/min in the cerebellum, and 46 +/- 18.7 ml/100 g/min in the spinal cord. During normocapnia (PaCO2 27-33 mmHg) for every mmHg of PaCO2 variation an average flow change of 1.7 ml/100 g/min was found in the cerebrum, corresponding change rates in the cerebellum and in the spinal cord were 1.1 and 0.9 ml/100 g/min/mmHg, respectively. Thus, the effect of carbon dioxide appears to be positively correlated with the normal level of regional perfusion and metabolism. Flow values within 10% of control were recorded in the cerebrum at MABPs ranging from 79 to 123% of normal blood pressure, 53 to 146% in the cerebellum, and 83 to 128% in the spinal cord. These results suggest greater susceptibility to pressure dependent ischemia of cerebrum and spinal cord, with relative resistance of the cerebellum.

Early changes in blood brain barrier permeability to small molecules after transient cerebral ischemia

Brain unidirectional extraction and flux of leucine were measured simultaneously with cerebral blood flow (CBF) at various times after transient global cerebral ischemia in the rat. The results permit an evaluation of blood-brain barrier permeability in the postischemic period independent of alterations in CBF at the time of measurement. Leucine extraction was higher (p less than 0.001) than that of CBF-matched controls at 15 min and 6 hr after 30 min of global cerebral ischemia, but was not different from control at 30 min and 1 h after ischemia. Leucine flux into brain was increased only at 15 min after reperfusion of the brain. Cerebral edema occurs 15-30 min after reperfusion in this ischemia model, but the permeability of the blood-brain barrier to large molecules is unaltered during this period (Petito et al: J Neuropath Exp Neurol 41:423-436, 1982). Increased barrier permeability to small molecules such as leucine may contribute to the production of this early postischemic edema.

Lesions of the basal forebrain in rat selectively impair the cortical vasodilation elicited from cerebellar fastigial nucleus

We sought to determine in rat, whether interruption of the major extrathalamic projections to the cerebral cortex originating in and projecting through the basal forebrain (BF), will impair the increase in regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF), but not metabolism, elicited in the cerebral cortex by electrical stimulation of the cerebellar fastigial nucleus (FN). Studies were conducted in anesthetized, paralyzed, ventilated rats, with blood gases controlled and AP maintained in the autoregulated range. Electrolytic lesions were placed unilaterally in the BF at the level of the lateral preoptic region lying in rostral portions of the medial forebrain bundle and resulted in a reduction of up to 47% of the choline acetyltransferase activity in the ipsilateral cerebral cortex. rCBF was measured in homogenates of 9 paired brain regions by the 14C-iodoantipyrine technique. In unlesioned rats, FN stimulation symmetrically and significantly (P less than 0.05) increased rCBF in all brain regions with the greatest increase (to 180%) in the frontal cortex. Two days following a unilateral BF lesion, FN stimulation failed to increase rCBF in the ipsilateral cerebral cortex distal to the BF lesion. In contrast, rCBF was increased to an almost comparable degree in the remainder of the brain. BF lesions alone resulted in a 18-23% reduction in cortical rCBF ipsilaterally (P less than 0.025). BF lesions did not alter the cerebrovascular vasodilation elicited by CO2 nor perturb autoregulation. The cortical vasodilation elicited by FN stimulation is mediated by intrinsic neuronal pathways and depends upon the integrity of neurons, possibly cholinergic, originating in, or passing through, the BF.

Local cerebral glucose metabolism in rats with chronic portacaval shunts

Local cerebral glucose utilization was measured with the autoradiographic [14C]deoxyglucose method in rats at 2 days and 1, 4, 8, and 12 weeks after the construction of a portacaval shunt, and in weight-matched controls. Local glucose utilization in brain was altered in shunted animals, but the magnitude and direction of the changes differed among 36 neuroanatomical structures, depending upon the length of time that the animals had been shunted. In rats shunted for 4 weeks or less, glucose utilization did not differ from control (30 of 36 structures) or was decreased (6 structures). The largest decreases of glucose utilization, noted at 1 week, occurred in the parietal (-25%) and frontal cortices (-28%) and subcortical white matter (-50%. In rats shunted for 8 weeks, however, glucose utilization was higher than control in many brain structures (13 of 36), and after 12 weeks it was higher than control in most structures (25 of 36). Only the parietal cortex did not follow this trend; it exhibited a decreased rate of glucose utilization in rats shunted for 8 weeks (-21%) that normalized in animals shunted for 12 weeks. Portal-systemic shunting of blood increased arterial blood ammonia concentrations to twice the control value of 85 +/- 3 microM in animals shunted for 1 week, and to approximately 2.5 times control in animals shunted for 4-12 weeks. Kety-Schmidt measurements of cerebral blood flow and arterial-venous (torcular) differences for ammonia across the brains of control rats and rats with portacaval shunts for 8 weeks revealed an increased cerebral uptake of ammonia in the shunted animals. The late-developing morphological changes known to occur in astrocytes and the delayed increases in local glucose consumption in rats with portacaval shunts may be related, and represent an adaptive response to sustained hyperammonemia.

Simultaneous determination of regional cerebral blood flow and blood--brain glucose transport kinetics in the gerbil

Cerebral blood flow (CBF) and unidirectional transport of glucose from blood to brain were measured simultaneously in four brain regions of the pentobarbital-anesthetized gerbil. The method consisted of the intravenous injection of a bolus containing [14C]butanol and [3H]glucose, followed by continuous withdrawal of arterial blood and sampling of brain 25 s later. CBF was lowest in the cerebral cortex (50 ml 100 g-1 min-1), highest in the brainstem (89 ml 100 g-1 min-1), and intermediate in the basal ganglia and cerebellum (66 and 69 ml 100 g-1 min-1, respectively). The kinetics of blood-to-brain glucose transport were measured in animals whose blood glucose concentration had been altered by glucose or insulin injections. The half-saturation constant for glucose transport (Km) was similar in all brain regions (7.37-8.14 mM), while the maximal rate of transport (Vmax) was lowest in the cerebral cortex (1.55 mumol g-1 min-1) and significantly higher in the basal ganglia, cerebellum, and brainstem (1.81-2.02 mumol g-1 min-1). These values for CBF and glucose transport are similar to those reported in the literature for other pentobarbital-anesthetized animals. The method provides a simple and rapid technique for determining the effect of ischemia and alterations in CBF on blood-to-brain glucose transport.

The effects of 5-minute ischemia in Mongolian gerbils: I. Blood-brain barrier, cerebral blood flow, and local cerebral glucose utilization changes

Changes in morphology, behavior of the blood-brain barrier (BBB), regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF), and local cerebral glucose utilization (LCGU) were assessed and correlated in Mongolian gerbils following 5 min cerebral ischemia, produced by bilateral clamping of the common carotid arteries. The morphological changes were confined to the hippocampus and revealed a conspicuously delayed destruction of the CA1 neurons, occurring after 3 days. Following release of carotid occlusions, there were two separate openings of the BBB. One, occurring shortly after recirculation, was associated with focal hyperemia in the cerebral cortex, hippocampus and basal ganglia; the second opening was observed after several days and was associated with severe neuronal destruction in the CA1 sector. Correlation of quantitative and qualitative rCBF assays with 14C-deoxyglucose autoradiographic observations indicated an uncoupling between blood flow and glucose metabolism, observed in the hippocampus at 10 min after recirculation. The described changes provide a further insight into the post-ischemic events which determine the outcome of ischemic injury.

A dual label radiotracer technique for the simultaneous measurement of cerebral blood flow and the single-transit cerebral extraction of diffusion-limited compounds in rats

An inexpensive method is described which permits simultaneous quantification of the cerebrovascular extraction (E) of diffusion-limited compounds and cerebral blood flow (CBF) in rats. This method involves the use of two radioisotopic tracers: (a) a diffusion-limited, test tracer such as [3H]water; and (b) a reference tracer. The reference tracer is also used in the measurement of CBF. In the development and validation of this technique, results using two different types of reference tracers were compared. The reference tracers employed were: (a) [14C]butanol, a flow-limited (i.e. freely diffusible) compound; and (b) [141Ce]microspheres which embolize in the cerebromicrocirculation. Inclusion of [3H]water in the injection bolus permitted simultaneous measurement of Ew using both butanol and microspheres as the reference as well as concomitant measurement of CBF. Both tracers provided estimates of these values which behaved physiologically with respect to increasing arterial CO2 content (paCO2). In addition, the simultaneous measurement of Ew and CBF permitted calculation of the effective permeability of water across the blood-brain barrier (PwS) which was discovered to increased with increasing paCO2.

Hyperglycemic ischemia of rat brain: the effect of post-ischemic insulin on metabolic rate

To identify the mechanism by which hyperglycemia impairs recovery after cerebral ischemia, cortical blood flow (CBF), cortical metabolic rate for oxygen (CMRO2), and the cortical phosphorylation rate for glucose (CPRg1c) were measured in rats 1 h after a global ischemic insult of the brain. A control group remained hyperglycemic after ischemia. The experimental group received insulin which reduced plasma glucose during the period of recirculation after ischemia. Thus, the brains of both groups were hyperglycemic before and during ischemia. The CMRO2 after ischemia was higher in insulin-treated rats than in hyperglycemic rats (250 vs 168 mumol . 100 g-1 . min-1) while the CPRg1c was lower (22 vs 58 mumol . 100 g-1 . min-1). We conclude that glucose-induced inhibition of oxygen consumption in brain contributes to the impaired recovery after ischemia.

Regional cerebral blood flow and glucose metabolism following transient forebrain ischemia

Progressive brain damage after transient cerebral ischemia may be related to changes in postischemic cerebral blood flow and metabolism. Regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) and cerebral glucose utilization (rCGU) were measured in adult rats prior to, during (only rCBF), and serially after transient forebrain ischemia. Animals were subjected to 30 minutes of forebrain ischemia by occluding both common carotid arteries 24 hours after cauterizing the vertebral arteries. Regional CBF was measured by the indicator-fractionation technique using 4-iodo-[14C]-antipyrine. Regional CGU was measured by the 2-[14C]deoxyglucose method. The results were correlated with the distribution and progression of ischemic neuronal damage in animals subjected to an identical ischemic insult. Cerebral blood flow to forebrain after 30 minutes of moderate to severe ischemia (less than 10% control CBF) was characterized by 5 to 15 minutes of hyperemia; rCBF then fell below normal and remained low for as long as 24 hours. Post-ischemic glucose utilization in the forebrain, except in the hippocampus, was depressed below control values at 1 hour and either remained low (neocortex, striatum) or gradually rose to normal (white matter) by 48 hours. In the hippocampus, glucose utilization equaled the control value at 1 hour and fell below control between 24 and 48 hours. The appearance of moderate to severe morphological damage in striatum and hippocampus coincided with a late rise of rCBF above normal and with a fall of rCGU; the late depression of rCGU was usually preceded by a period during which metabolism was increased relative to adjacent tissue. Further refinement of these studies may help identify salvageable brain after ischemia and define ways to manipulate CBF and metabolism in the treatment of stroke.