European journal of applied physiology
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Eur. J. Appl. Physiol. · Jun 2013
Simulated dive in rats lead to acute changes in cerebral blood flow on MRI, but no cerebral injuries to grey or white matter.
In this study, the effect of a simulated dive on rat brain was investigated using several magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-methods and immunohistochemistry. Rats were randomly assigned to a dive- or a control group. The dive group was exposed to a simulated air dive to 600 kPa for 45 min. ⋯ However, region of interest based measurements of T2 showed higher T2 in the brain stem among decompressed animals than controls after one and 2 weeks. Microscopical examination including immunohistochemistry did not reveal apparent structural or cellular injuries in any part of the rat brains. These observations indicate that severe decompression does not seem to cause any structural or cellular injury to the brain tissue of the rat, but may cause circulatory changes in the brain perfusion in the acute phase.