Long-term changes in metabolic brain network drive memory impairments in rats following neonatal hypoxia-ischemia.

Background And Purpose: Hypoxia and cerebral ischemia (HI) events are capable of triggering important changes in brain metabolism, including glucose metabolism abnormalities, which may be related to the severity of the insult. Using positron emission microtomography (microPET) with [F]fluorodeoxyglucose (F-FDG), this study proposes to assess abnormalities of brain glucose metabolism in adult rats previously submitted to the neonatal HI model. We hypothesize that cerebral metabolic outcomes will be associated with cognitive deficits and magnitude of brain injury.

Blood-brain barrier breakdown in reduced uterine perfusion pressure: a possible model of posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome.

Background: Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) is a clinical entity characterized by headaches, altered mental status, seizures, and visual disturbances and is associated with white matter vasogenic edema. There are no experimental models to study PRES brain changes.

Methods: Twenty-eight pregnant Wistar rats were divided into 4 groups of 7: (1) pregnant-control; (2) reduced uterine perfusion pressure (RUPP); (3) invasive blood pressure (IBP); and (4) reduced uterine perfusion pressure plus invasive blood pressure (RUPP-IBP).

Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome: differences between pregnant and non-pregnant patients.

Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) is a clinical-radiologic entity not yet understood, that presents with transient neurologic symptoms and particular radiological findings. Few papers show the differences between pregnant and non-pregnant patients. We review the cases of 38 women diagnosed with PRES, in order to find significant differences between pregnant (18) and non-pregnant (20) patients.