Neuropathology and applied neurobiology
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Neuropathol. Appl. Neurobiol. · Oct 1995
The response of neurons and microglia to blast injury in the rat brain.
Rats subjected to a single non-penetrative blast were examined for possible neuronal damage and glial reaction by immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy. The most dramatic feature in rats killed between 1 and 14 days after the blast was the widespread response of microglial cells in various parts of the brain in which the cells were hypertrophied and their surface antigens, like complement type three receptors (CR3), were upregulated. The blast wave also induced the vigorous expression of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I and II (Ia) antigen. ⋯ Microglial cells were closely associated with some of the 'darkened' dendrites. Results in this study show that a non-penetrative blast in rats provokes a widespread microglial activation suggesting increased endocytosis and immunological responses. However, it remains uncertain whether such a drastic response was a direct activation of the cells by the blast wave or elicited indirectly by some chemical factors released from the damaged brain tissues.