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Query: UMLS:C0022116 (ischemia)
 91,303 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The aim of the present study was 2-fold: (1) to determine the ratio between the amount of GAD67 and GAD65 (two isoforms of the GABA synthetizing enzyme glutamic acid decarboxylase) in nerve endings in the mature rat cerebral cortex damaged by hypoxia-ischemia during early postnatal life; and (2) to compare two different computer-assisted procedures developed for quantitative analysis of immunofluorescence images obtained with a confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM). One procedure was based on a program present in the standard Leica CLSM software packet for full-field analysis, the other on a specially written program for object-oriented analysis run on a Kontron IBAS-KAT image analysis system. To this end, rat pups were unilaterally exposed to hypoxic-ischemic conditions and, after a survival period of 6.5 months, sacrificed by perfusion fixation. After dissection of the brain and vibratome sectioning, three animals with substantial damage on one cortical side were selected. Sections of these animals were double-stained with primary antibodies against GAD67 and GAD65 and fluorophore-conjugated secondary antibodies and subsequently sampled with a CLSM. Analysis of the CLSM images with both computer-assisted procedures showed for all three animals a clear tendency to higher GAD67/GAD65 ratios in cortical GABAergic nerve endings on the hypoxia-damaged side than in matched areas on the contralateral side. This outcome led to the following conclusions. (1) The correspondence between the outcome of both analysis procedures indicates that both procedures are valid for quantification of immunofluorescence images of nerve endings obtained with a CLSM. (2) The outcome lends further support to our view that hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, sustained during early postnatal life, may result in an unstable cortical network generating abnormal synchronizations and oscillations which can be amplified and propagated as true epileptic discharges. In such a network both excitatory and inhibitory processes are tonically enhanced, the latter probably as a homeostatic reaction tending to keep abnormal excitation within physiological limits.
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PMID:Quantitative immunofluorescence data suggest a permanently enhanced GAD67/GAD65 ratio in nerve endings in rat cerebral cortex damaged by early postnatal hypoxia-ischemia: a comparison between two computer-assisted procedures for quantification of confocal laser scanning microscopic immunofluorescence images. 782 Jun 25

Following cerebral ischemia, certain populations of neurons degenerate. Excessive accumulation of excitatory amino acids in the synaptic cleft, activation of excitatory amino acid receptors, and influx of calcium into neurons play a key role in the development of ischemia-induced neuronal death. We hypothesized that neuroprotection may be achieved by enhancing inhibitory (i.e., gamma-aminobutyric acid, GABA) neurotransmission to offset excitation. Diazepam, a drug that increases GABA-induced chloride channel opening, was administered (10 mg/kg, i.p.) to rats 1 and 2 hr following 15 min of transient global ischemia, when hippocampal GABA levels, increased during ischemia, returned to basal. Rats were maintained normothermic during ischemia and became hypothermic following the injections of diazepam. Four days later, rats were sacrificed and the brains were examined for neuronal degeneration and the presence of GABAA receptors labeled by 35S-t-butylbicyclophosphorothionate (35S-TBPS). There was substantial neuroprotection of striatal neurons and pyramidal neurons in the CA1 area of the hippocampus. In addition, diazepam prevented the loss of 35S-TBPS binding sites in the striatum and in the dendritic fields of the CA1 hippocampus following ischemia. Since hypothermia, itself, is neuroprotective, we determined if hypothermia was required for the ability of diazepam to produce neuroprotection. Diazepam was microinjected into the CA1 hippocampus 1 and 2 hr following ischemia, and rats remained normothermic. Four days later, diazepam still produced substantial protection of hippocampal neurons. Thus, postischemic hypothermia may have contributed to the neuroprotection by diazepam when it was administered systemically, but the neuroprotective effect of diazepam did not require hypothermia. We conclude that delayed enhancement of GABAergic neurotransmission directly at the site of vulnerability following an ischemic event protects the vulnerable neurons from death.
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PMID:Diazepam, given postischemia, protects selectively vulnerable neurons in the rat hippocampus and striatum. 782 61

Excitatory amino acid release and neurotoxicity in the ischemic brain may be reduced by endogenously released adenosine which can modulate both glutamate or aspartate release and depress neuronal excitability. The present study reports on the patterns of release of glutamate and aspartate; the inhibitory amino acids GABA and glycine; and of the purine catabolites adenosine and inosine from the rat parietal cerebral cortex during 20 and 60 min periods of middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion followed by reperfusion. Aspartate and glutamate efflux into cortical superfusates rose steadily during the period of ischemia and tended to increase even further during the subsequent 40 min of reperfusion. GABA release rose during ischemia and declined during reperfusion, whereas glycine efflux was relatively unchanged during both ischemia and reperfusion. Adenosine levels in cortical superfusates rose rapidly at the onset of ischemia and then declined even though MCA occlusion was continued. Recovery to pre-occlusion levels was rapid following reperfusion. Inosine efflux also increased rapidly, but its decline during reperfusion was slower than that of adenosine.
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PMID:Amino acid and purine release in rat brain following temporary middle cerebral artery occlusion. 782 64

Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) offers a unique opportunity to monitor mmolar concentrations of high energy phosphates, glucose, lactate and amino acids. The possibility of obtaining information about chemical constituents noninvasively is of great importance. MRS and chemical shift imaging (CSI) are emerging as tools for tumor grading, monitoring of treatment, ischemia research, in pediatric research for follow-up of children with borderline mental retardation, for defining brain death and to define epileptic foci. It is important to know which cell type (neuronal or glial) shows changes as a result of external manipulations (e.g. excitotoxins) or internal changes (brain pathology). Metabolic studies have been carried out on brain cell cultures. By using 13C labeled glucose and acetate in combination with 13C MRS it was shown that astrocytes release lactate, glutamine, citrate and alanine and that cerebral cortical neurons use glutamine released from astrocytes as a precursor for GABA synthesis. An important feature in MRS is the localization of N-acetyl aspartate in neurons, since this enables monitoring of neuronal reactions, such as survival after neurotoxic insults. Recent advances have yielded high speed functional echo planar imaging (EPI) techniques that are sensitive to changes in cerebral blood volume, blood flow and blood oxygenation (Functional MRI). During cognitive task performance, local alterations in neuronal activity induce local changes in cerebral metabolism and cerebral perfusion, which can now be detected with MRI.
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PMID:Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy: biochemical evaluation of brain function in vivo and in vitro. 785 91

Adenosine is now widely accepted as the major inhibitory neuromodulator in the central nervous system besides GABA. It has been suggested to be an endogenous neuroprotective metabolite. In situations of metabolic stress, e.g. ischemia adenosine decreases energy demand and increases energy supply. Of particular relevance in this context is its modulation of glutamate release. A shift of this adenosine-glutamate balance in favor of adenosine helps to restore function at the cellular, organ and organism level. Adenosine A1 receptor agonists and metabolic inhibitors, e.g. of transport, deaminase and xanthine oxidase have been demonstrated to be effective in different animal models of ischemia. Nimodipine, a L-type channel calcium antagonist currently in clinical trials for stroke and dementia syndromes, has now been shown to be a potent adenosine transport inhibitor in clinically relevant concentrations. Increase of adenosinergic neuromodulation may well be one of several future therapeutic strategies in neuroprotection.
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PMID:Adenosine--an endogenous neuroprotective metabolite and neuromodulator. 788 4

Repetitive cerebral ischemia in gerbils produces delayed neuronal damage in the substantia nigra reticulata (SNr). This damage begins 4 to 5 days after the insult and is severe by day 7. The damage can be attenuated by GABA agonists. There is a prominent GABAergic striatal pathway to the SNr. Damage to this pathway leads to progressive loss of SNr neurons. This loss can be prevented by GABA agonists. We postulate that, ischemia-induced lack of GABAergic inhibitory input from the striatum to the SNr, may be responsible for this delayed neuronal damage. In the present experiment, we have measured striatal extracellular GABA concentrations with or without nipecotic acid, a GABA-reuptake inhibitor, in gerbils exposed to repetitive ischemia. GABA levels were measured on days 1, 3, 5, and 7 after the ischemic insult. Five control animals and a similar number of ischemic animals were monitored on each day. Extracellular fluid was collected using in vivo microdialysis and GABA levels were measured by electrochemical detection with HPLC. The extracellular striatal GABA levels were very low in the initial three specimens collected, both in the control and in the ischemic animals. However, addition of nipecotic acid resulted in an immediate increase of GABA in measurable range. In comparison to the controls, the increase in GABA on day 1 and 3 were significantly higher in animals with repetitive ischemia (two-way ANOVA with repeated measures). Subsequent measurements showed a gradual decrease in GABA levels when compared to controls. The increase in GABA with nipecotic acid was significantly lower on day 7 after the ischemic insults when compared to the controls. The increased GABA responsiveness immediately after the ischemic insults may reflect a protective effect against excitotoxicity. The subsequent decline in GABA levels after the insult may be secondary to progressive loss of striatal GABAergic neurons. This may contribute to the production of delayed neural damage in the SNr by a decrease in the inhibitory striatal input.
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PMID:Progressive decrease in extracellular GABA concentrations in the post-ischemic period in the striatum: a microdialysis study. 788 74

Hippocampal slices were successfully maintained for 24 hours in vitro in a flow-through chamber by using a modified artificial CSF (amino acids included). Measurement of energy metabolism parameters (adenine nucleotides) and the slice response to KCl-induced depolarization (release of GABA and aspartate) indicated that hippocampal slices were metabolically stable for at least 24 hours. The preparation was used to study recovery of protein synthesis after different periods of in vitro ischemia (5, 10, or 15 min). Protein synthesis inhibition was only partly reversed after 15 min of ischemia, but fully reversible after 5- or 10-min ischemia at 24 hours of recovery. Furthermore, the model was used to study a possible role of glutamate in postischemic inhibition of protein synthesis. Glutamate receptor agonists (glutamate or quinolinic acid) or antagonist (kynurenic acid) were applied during ischemia. Neither treatment affected the late (24 hours) outcome of ischemia, arguing against the critical role of glutamate in ischemic cell damage. The present approach allows use of the hippocampal slice preparation in the study of delayed effects of ischemia of different duration.
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PMID:Protein synthesis and energy metabolism in hippocampal slices during extended (24 hours) recovery following different periods of ischemia. 789 4

Release of the excitotoxic amino acids, glutamate and aspartate, from the ischemic rat cerebral cortex was compared in two models; the seven vessel occlusion model (7VO) of complete cerebral ischemia and the four vessel occlusion model (4VO) of incomplete cerebral ischemia. Amino acid efflux into cortical superfusates was measured using cortical cups placed on both hemispheres. Whereas a 20 min period of ischemia causes a pronounced release of glutamate and aspartate from the 4VO model, efflux was significantly reduced in the 7VO model. Release of the inhibitory transmitter GABA, was similar in the two models. This result suggests that excitotoxic amino acid efflux into the extracellular spaces of the cerebral cortex may be enhanced by the residual blood flow in an incomplete ischemia.
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PMID:Transmitter amino acid release from rat neocortex: complete versus incomplete ischemia models. 789 7

The release of glutamate and GABA in response to K+ depolarization was determined for tissue prisms prepared from brain subregions removed from rats following 30 min of forebrain ischemia or recirculation periods up to 24 h. There were statistically significant effects of this treatment on release of both amino acids from samples of the dorsolateral striatum, an area developing selective neuronal degeneration. However, for at least the first 3 h of recirculation the calcium-dependent and calcium-independent release of both amino acids in this region were similar to pre-ischemic values. Differences were observed under some conditions at longer recirculation times. In particular there was a decrease in calcium-dependent GABA release at 24 h of recirculation and a trend towards increased release of glutamate at 6 h of recirculation and beyond. No statistically significant differences were seen in samples from the paramedian neocortex, a region resistant to post-ischemic damage. These results suggest that changes in the ability to release glutamate and GABA in response to stimulation are not necessary for the development of neurodegeneration in the striatum but rather that release of these amino acids may be modified as a result of the degenerative process.
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PMID:The stimulus-evoked release of glutamate and GABA from brain subregions following transient forebrain ischemia in the rat. 790 57

The redistribution of neurotransmitter amino acids resulting from 20 min of ischaemia was studied in the rat hippocampus by quantitative, electron microscopic immunocytochemistry and by in vivo microdialysis. Changes in the distribution of glutamate, glutamine, aspartate and GABA in various cell compartments of CA1 were analysed immediately after ischaemia or after 60 min of reperfusion, by incubating ultrathin sections with antisera raised against protein glutaraldehyde conjugates of the respective amino acids and subsequently with a secondary antibody coupled to colloidal gold particles. Transverse microdialysis probes coupled with HPLC and implanted in the same animals were used to determine the extracellular concentration of amino acids in the left hippocampus and to apply a drug (BW1003C87) believed to modify the extracellular release of amino acids induced by ischaemia. Forebrain ischaemia was induced by temporary occlusion of the common carotid arteries in rats with permanently occluded vertebral arteries. The extracellular concentrations of glutamate, aspartate and GABA increased markedly during ischaemia, but returned rapidly to normal during reperfusion. BW1003C87 (250 microM, in the dialysis fluid) did not modify the increase in extracellular concentration of amino acids during ischaemia. Glutamate-like immunoreactivity was reduced in pyramidal cell somata both immediately after ischaemia and after 60 min of reperfusion. This reduction appeared to be somewhat less pronounced for cells in the left hemisphere (perfused with BW1003C87) than in the contralateral hemisphere. Ischaemia caused no consistent changes in terminals. The ratio between the intracellular levels of glutamate and glutamine was assessed by double-labelling immunocytochemistry, using two different gold particle sizes. The glutamate-glutamine ratio in glial cells was greatly increased after ischaemia, but recovered to a normal level within 1 h of reperfusion. Aspartate-like immunoreactivity was substantially reduced in pyramidal cell somata both immediately and 60 min after ischaemia, while profiles that were immunopositive for GABA in control brains showed increased GABA immunolabelling. These results suggest that postsynaptic neuronal elements as well as glial cells contribute to the extracellular overflow of excitatory amino acids during an ischaemic event: post-synaptic elements by leaking or releasing glutamate and aspartate, and glial cells by losing their ability to convert glutamate to glutamine effectively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
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PMID:Effect of ischaemia and reperfusion on the extra- and intracellular distribution of glutamate, glutamine, aspartate and GABA in the rat hippocampus, with a note on the effect of the sodium channel blocker BW1003C87. 790 21


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