Cerebral Vasoactivity and Oxygenation with Oxygen Carrier M101 in Rats.

The severity of traumatic brain injury (TBI) may be reduced if oxygen can be rapidly provided to the injured brain. This study evaluated if the oxygen-carrier M101 causes vasoconstricton of pial vasculature in healthy rats (Experiment 1) and if M101 improves brain tissue oxygen (PbtO2) in rats with controlled cortical impact (CCI)-TBI (Experiment 2). M101 (12.5 mL/kg intravenous [IV] over 2 h) caused a mild (9 mm Hg) increase in the mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) of healthy rats without constriction of cerebral pial arterioles. M101 (12 mL/kg IV over 1 h) caused a modest (27 mm Hg) increase in MAP (peak, 123 ± 5 mm Hg [mean ± standard error of the mean]) of CCI-TBI rats and restored PbtO2 to near pre-injury levels. In both M101 and untreated control (NON) groups, PbtO2 was ∼30 ± 2 mm Hg pre-injury and decreased (p ≤ 0.05) to ∼16 ± 2 mm Hg 15 min after CCI. In NON, PbtO2 remained ∼50% of baseline but M101 administration resulted in a sustained increase in PbtO2 (peak, 25 ± 5 mm Hg), which was not significantly different from pre-injury until the end of the study, when it decreased again below pre-injury (but was still higher than NON). Histopathology showed no differences between groups. In conclusion, M101 increased systemic blood pressures without concurrent cerebral pial vasoconstriction (in healthy rats) and restored PbtO2 to 86% of pre-injury for at least 80 min when given soon after CCI-TBI. M101 should be evaluated in a clinically-relevant large animal model for pre-hospital treatment of TBI.

A selective adenosine A2A receptor antagonist ameliorated hyperlocomotion in an animal model of lateral fluid percussion brain injury.

Increased concentration of extracellular adenosine after brain injury is supposed to be one of the causes of secondary brain damage. The purpose of the present study is to examine whether or not administration of adenosine A2A receptor antagonist may be efficacious in ameliorating neurological symptoms by blocking secondary brain damage through cascades initiated by adenosine A2a receptor.Mongolian gerbils were divided into four groups: the trauma-medication (T-M), trauma-saline (T-S), sham-medication (S-M), and sham-saline (S-S) groups. Trauma groups received lateral fluid percussion injury. Medication groups received i.p. injection of SCH58261 (selective adenosine A2A receptor antagonist) until the fifth post-injury day. Open-field locomotion test and grabbing test were conducted before and 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 days after injury.The total distance of movement in the T-S group was significantly greater than in the other three groups at all time points. In the T-M group, administration of SCH58261 significantly blocked hyperlocomotion, which was observed in the T-S group. There was no significant difference in the total distance among the T-M, S-M, and S-S groups. In the grabbing test, grabbing time was significantly increased in the T-S group 3, 5, 7, and 9 days after the operation. SCH58261 also improved grabbing time in the T-M group.Adenosine A2A antagonist successfully suppressed the trauma-induced hyperlocomotion, presumably by blocking secondary brain damage.

Optical survey of vagus nerve-related neuronal circuits in the embryonic rat brainstem.

The multiple-site optical recording technique with a voltage-sensitive dye, NK2761, was used to survey the functional organization of neuronal networks related to the vagus nerve (N.X) in the E16-stage rat brainstem. When we stimulated N.X, in addition to the responses in the vagal sensory nucleus (nucleus of the tractus solitarius (NTS)) on the stimulated side, other response areas were bilaterally detected. Characteristics of the optical signals in these areas suggested that they correspond to neural activity in the second/higher-ordered nucleus of the vagal pathway. The first area was located at the level of the pons. Based upon morphological information, we suggest that this area corresponds to the parabrachial nucleus (PBN), which receives inputs from the NTS. The second area was located between the NTS and the PBN. We suggest that this area is the A5 noradrenergic group. These results suggest that the N.X-related neural networks are established similarly to the adult pattern from an early developmental stage.