Journal of cerebral blood flow and metabolism : official journal of the International Society of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism
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J. Cereb. Blood Flow Metab. · Jul 2005
Cytochrome c, a biomarker of apoptosis, is increased in cerebrospinal fluid from infants with inflicted brain injury from child abuse.
Previous studies suggest that delayed neuronal death occurs in patients with inflicted traumatic brain injury (TBI) from child abuse. It is unknown whether the mode of this delayed neuronal death represents apoptosis or necrosis, a distinction that carries therapeutic ramifications. Cytochrome c, an electron transport chain component, can be released from mitochondria under conditions of cellular stress, whereupon it can initiate and serve as a biomarker of apoptosis. ⋯ These data suggest that apoptosis, as detected by the presence of cytochrome c in CSF, is uniquely prominent among the subset of TBI patients diagnosed with child abuse. The degree of apoptosis after TBI also appears to be gender-dependent. Development of strategies targeting apoptosis after TBI, particularly in victims of child abuse and in girls, appears justified.