EFFECTS OF A TRAUMATIC NEOCORTICAL LESION ON CEREBRAL METABOLISM AND GENE-EXPRESSION OF RATS

THE effects of a traumatic neocortical lesion, induced by transcranial cold injury, on brain metabolism and gene expression were examined. T he surrounding of the lesions was characterized by increased glucose a nd lactate levels without major disturbances of protein synthesis or e nergy state. A transient pH decrease by 0.4 units was noticed Ih post- injury, which shifted towards alkaline values by 3 h. The metabolic di sturbances did not differ between injured animals with spontaneous spr eading depressions (SD, n = 14) and those without SD (n=7). In SD anim als, c-fos mRNA was strongly elevated in the injury-remote cortex, but hsp72 mRNA was not enhanced. Thus, in contrast to focal ischemia, the metabolic dysfunction around traumatic cortical lesions is not aggrav ated by SD. (C) 1998 Rapid Science Ltd.