Name: PEDRO HENRIQUE CASSARO LIRIO
Publication date: 30/03/2023
Advisor:
Name |
Role |
|---|---|
| FERNANDO ZANELA DA SILVA AREAS | Advisor * |
| LÍVIA CARLA DE MELO RODRIGUES | Co-advisor * |
Examining board:
| Name |
Role |
|---|---|
| CARMEM LUIZA SARTORIO | External Examiner * |
| FERNANDO ZANELA DA SILVA AREAS | Advisor * |
| LÍVIA CARLA DE MELO RODRIGUES | Co advisor * |
| RITA GOMES WANDERLEY PIRES | Internal Examiner * |
Summary: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a neurotrauma with a complex pathophysiology
caused by an external mechanical force. The damage from TBI can be divided into
primary and secondary. The primary damage is related to mechanical collision of
the brain and the secondary, related to neurochemical and immunoexcitotoxic
processes caused by the temporal progression of the injury. Called the silent
epidemic, it is the biggest cause of disability for young adults around the world.
Animal models of TBI are used to mimic pathophysiological processes and allow the
investigation of new therapies and interventions. The Weight-drop models allows
the induction of TBI in rodents without previous surgical interventions, allowing a
better understanding of the pathophysiological cascades of TBI. In addition, in this
model, considered to be the closest to the human TBI, the monitoring of basic vital
parameters can be used as an aid in the classification and prognosis related to TBI.
In the present study, we propose a new weight-drop model apparatus to induce
moderately severe closed-head TBI. We evaluated the effect of a 48.5g free-fall
projectile from a height of 1.10 m in 8-week-old young adult rats. Control (sham),
G1 (1h post-trauma), G2 (3 days post-trauma) and G3 (7 days post-trauma) groups
were used. After the induction of TBI groups and the Sham group, had daily weight
assessment, temperature within 1h post-TB and daily within the 7 days. Also, they
underwent behavioral tests such as Open Field, to assess motor parameters and
Novel Object Recognition test, to assess cognitive impairments. In addition, the
prefrontal cortex, hippocampus and hypothalamus samples of the animals were
used to assess levels of oxidative stress. Our results demonstrated that the TBI
animals had less weight gain during the 7 days of evaluation, as well as significant
fluctuations in body temperature. The TBI groups, also showed motor and cognitive
deficits, especially on the 7th day after the injury. In addition, it showed higher levels
of oxidative stress in the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus and hypothalamus
compared to sham group. These findings suggest that the present model may be a
possible candidate for translational studies.
