The time course of the vascular response to human brain injury - an immunohistochemical study

In a total of 104 individuals who had sustained traumatic brain injury (TBI ), the time-dependent vascular response was investigated at the injured cor tical area during the first 30 weeks after the trauma. The immunohistochemi cal staining of the cerebral blood vessels was performed with antibodies ag ainst laminin, type IV collagen, tenascin, thrombomodulin and factor VIII a ssociated antigen. Compared to the immunoreactivity in unaltered control ti ssue, a significantly increased vascular expression could be detected in co rtical contusions after a postinfliction interval of at least 3 h for facto r VIII, after 1.6 days for tenascin or after 6.8 days for thrombomodulin, w hereas the immunostaining for laminin and type IV collagen was regularly po sitive even in the vascular endothelium of uninjured brain tissue.