Blocking Mitochondrial Zn Accumulation after Ischemia Reduces Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Neuronal Injury.

Zn is an important contributor to ischemic brain injury, and recent studies support the hypothesis that mitochondria are key sites of its injurious effects. In murine hippocampal slices (both sexes) subjected to oxygen glucose deprivation (OGD), we found that Zn accumulation and its entry into mitochondria precedes and contributes to the induction of acute neuronal death. In addition, if the ischemic episode is short (and sublethal), there is ongoing Zn accumulation in CA1 mitochondria after OGD that may contribute to their delayed dysfunction.

High-speed quantitative optical imaging of absolute metabolism in the rat cortex.

Quantitative measures of blood flow and metabolism are essential for improved assessment of brain health and response to ischemic injury. We demonstrate a multimodal technique for measuring the cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen ( ) in the rodent brain on an absolute scale ( ). We use laser speckle imaging at 809 nm and spatial frequency domain imaging at 655, 730, and 850 nm to obtain spatiotemporal maps of cerebral blood flow, tissue absorption ( ), and tissue scattering ( ).

Overnight Caloric Restriction Prior to Cardiac Arrest and Resuscitation Leads to Improved Survival and Neurological Outcome in a Rodent Model.

While interest toward caloric restriction (CR) in various models of brain injury has increased in recent decades, studies have predominantly focused on the benefits of chronic or intermittent CR. The effects of ultra-short, including overnight, CR on acute ischemic brain injury are not well studied. Here, we show that overnight caloric restriction (75% over 14 h) prior to asphyxial cardiac arrest and resuscitation (CA) improves survival and neurological recovery as measured by, behavioral testing on neurological deficit scores, faster recovery of quantitative electroencephalography (EEG) burst suppression ratio, and complete prevention of neurodegeneration in multiple regions of the brain.

Rapid Intramitochondrial Zn2+ Accumulation in CA1 Hippocampal Pyramidal Neurons After Transient Global Ischemia: A Possible Contributor to Mitochondrial Disruption and Cell Death.

Mitochondrial Zn2+ accumulation, particularly in CA1 neurons, occurs after ischemia and likely contributes to mitochondrial dysfunction and subsequent neurodegeneration. However, the relationship between mitochondrial Zn2+ accumulation and their disruption has not been examined at the ultrastructural level in vivo. We employed a cardiac arrest model of transient global ischemia (TGI), combined with Timm's sulfide silver labeling, which inserts electron dense metallic silver granules at sites of labile Zn2+ accumulation, and used transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to examine subcellular loci of the Zn2+ accumulation.