During the past decade, there has been accumulating evidence of the involvement of passive and active cell death mechanisms in both the clinical setting and in experimental models of traumatic brain injury (TBI). Traditionally, research for a treatment of TBI consists of strategies to prevent cell death using acute pharmacological therapy. However, to date, encouraging experimental work has not be

This article comprehensively reviews the lateral fluid percussion (LFP) model of traumatic brain injury (TBI) in small animal species with particular emphasis on its validity, clinical relevance and reliability. The LFP model, initially described in 1989, has become the most extensively utilized animal model of TBI (to date, 232 PubMed citations), producing both focal and diffuse (mixed) brain inj

PURPOSE: Lateral fluid percussion brain injury (FPI) increases cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression in the cortex and hippocampus. The objective was to investigate whether the selective COX-2 inhibitor rofecoxib (10 mg/kg twice daily) reduces neuronal cell death after FPI in rats, since rofecoxib has been shown to be neuroprotective in other models of CNS injury.METHODS: Rofecoxib (n = 23) or vehic

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a devastating disease, predominately affecting young people. Although the prognosis for TBI victims has improved in recent years, many survivors of TBI suffer from emotional, cognitive and motor disturbances and a decreased quality of life. In recent years, there has been a rapid increase in the number of pharmacological targets evaluated in clinically-relevant expe

Impaired cerebral energy metabolism may be a major contributor to the secondary injury cascade that occurs following traumatic brain injury (TBI). To estimate the cortical energy metabolic state following mild and severe controlled cortical contusion (CCC) TBI in rats, ipsi-and contralateral cortical tissues were frozen in situ at 15 and 40 min post-injury and adenylate (ATP, ADP, AMP) levels were

Astrocytic glutamate (Glt) uptake keeps brain interstitial Glt levels low. Within the astrocytes Glt is converted to glutamine (Gln), which is released and reconverted to Glt in neurons. The Glt-Gln cycle is energy demanding and impaired energy metabolism has been suggested to cause low interstitial Gln/Glt ratios. Using microdialysis (MD) measurements from visually noninjured cortex in 33 neuroin

INTRODUCTION: We describe the neurointensive care (NIC) management of a patient with severe cerebral swelling and raised intracranial pressure (ICP) after severe sodium valproic acid (VPA) intoxication. A previously healthy 25-year old male with mild tonic-clonic epilepsy was found unconscious with serum VPA levels >10,000 micromol/l. The patient deteriorated to Glasgow Motor Scale score (GMS) 2 a

PURPOSE: The ability of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) to attenuate secondary damage and influence behavioral outcome after experimental traumatic brain injury (TBI) remains controversial. Because TBI can result in decreased expression of the trkB receptor, thereby preventing BDNF from exerting potential neuroprotective effects, the contribution of both BDNF and its receptor trkB to hipp

OBJECT: Damage to axons contributes to postinjury disabilities and is commonly observed following traumatic brain injury (TBI). Traumatic brain injury is an important environmental risk factor for the development of Alzheimer disease (AD). In the present feasibility study, the aim was to use intracerebral microdialysis catheters with a high molecular cutoff membrane (100 kD) to harvest interstitia

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are important contributors to the secondary injury cascade following traumatic brain injury (TBI), and ROS inhibition has consistently been shown to be neuroprotective following experimental TBI. NXY-059, a nitrone free radical trapping compound, has been shown to be neuroprotective in models of ischemic stroke but has not been evaluated in experimental TBI. In the pr

Interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) may play a central role in the inflammatory response following traumatic brain injury (TBI). We subjected 91 mice to controlled cortical impact (CCI) brain injury or sham injury. Beginning 5 min post-injury, the IL-1beta neutralizing antibody IgG2a/k (1.5 microg/mL) or control antibody was infused at a rate of 0.25 microL/h into the contralateral ventricle for up to 14

OBJECTIVES: To analyze the initial clinical and radiological findings, the surgical treatment, and the clinical outcome following surgical decompression in patients with space-occupying bilateral cerebellar infarction.MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ten patients with expansive bilateral cerebellar infarction and decreased level of consciousness were operated with suboccipital craniectomy, removal of the in

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the leading cause of death and disability in young adults. Survivors of TBI frequently suffer from long-term personality changes and deficits in cognitive and motor performance, urgently calling for novel pharmacological treatment options. To date, all clinical trials evaluating neuroprotective compounds have failed in demonstrating clinical efficacy in cohorts of s

Oxidative stress is a major contributor to the secondary injury process after experimental traumatic brain injury (TBI). The importance of oxidative stress in the pathobiology of human TBI is largely unknown. The F(2)-isoprostane 8-iso-prostaglandin F(2α) (8-iso-PGF(2α)), synthesized in vivo through non-enzymatic free radical catalyzed peroxidation of arachidonic acid, is a widely used biomarker o

BACKGROUND: There are limited data on the long-term outcome and on factors influencing the prognosis in patients with cerebellar infarcts treated with surgical decompression.METHODS: Thirty-two patients (age 64.3 ± 9.9 years) with expansive unilateral cerebellar infarcts were retrospectively evaluated. All patients were treated with ventriculostomy, suboccipital decompressive craniectomy and remov

PURPOSE: There is hope for neural stem and progenitor cells (NSPC) to enhance regeneration when transplanted to the injured brain after traumatic brain injury (TBI). So far, the therapeutic effects of NSPC transplantation have been hampered mainly by the notable death of the transplanted cells. Neuroinflammation may lead to additional cell death after TBI and we hypothesized that survival of graft

Identifying external factors that can be used to control neural stem cells division and their differentiation to neurons, astrocytes and oligodendrocytes is of high scientific and clinical interest. Here we show that the Nogo-66 receptor interacting protein LINGO-1 is a potent regulator of neural stem cell maturation to neurons. LINGO-1 is expressed by cortical neural stem cells from E14 mouse emb

All experimental models of traumatic brain injury (TBI) result in a progressive loss of brain tissue. The extent of tissue loss reflects the injury severity and can be measured to evaluate the potential neuroprotective effect of experimental treatments. Quantitation of tissue volumes is commonly performed using evenly spaced brain sections stained using routine histochemical methods and digitally

Zambia, previously Northern Rhodesia, has exhibited a remarkable consistencyin the focus of its agricultural policies throughout the colonial and independenceeras. Assessing the 100 year period from 1915, this study applies a political economy framework to present evidence on the extent to which, and throughwhat mechanisms, initial natural resource endowments have influenced statepolicies in Zambi