Animal studies have shown that swelling in the brain can protect it in the longer term. Dangerous brain activity can take place after a brain injury (such as from blunt trauma), where neural network activity can surge to dangerous levels, resulting in seizures and tissue injury for months or years after the original injury. Swelling may reduce this long-term effect, an unexpected protective benefit.
At the University of Utah, Punam Sawant-Pokam, PhD, and KC Brennan, MD, investigated the effects of cerebral injury and swelling. They examined the brains of mice subjected to injury with a range of advanced tools for brain recording and electrical activity,
When observations were made 48 hours after injury, when maximum swelling usually appears, untreated mice brains showed swollen neurons but their neuronal activity had surprisingly dropped. Mice that were given drugs to reduce swelling showed that the neurons continued to show over-activity.
“This data prompts a pretty big reconsideration of how we view edema after brain injury,” Brennan said. “When oedema is about to cause death, it is the number one priority. We’re not saying this is not true. But we’re opening up more nuance to the phenomenon in a way that might allow us to eventually get to more specific treatments and better outcomes.
“It’s very exciting to know that neuronal oedema is not only reducing cellular excitability, it’s also protecting the brain from dangerous network events,” Sawant-Pokam said.
The findings suggest that patients could benefit from more targeted approaches to dealing with cerebral oedema.
Source: Medical Xpress
