Presenter

Christine A Dirks, Department of Psychology, University of Alberta

Abstract

Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is a severe stroke subtype, characterized by bleeding within the brain, with a high mortality rate (40%). ICH currently has no effective neuroprotective (neuron-saving) treatments. Therapeutic hypothermia is an effective neuroprotective treatment in other models of brain injury, but has not been extensively explored in ICH. Additionally, current cooling methods often employ whole-body cooling techniques, which can cause complications (e.g., shivering), so selective methods are preferred. One example of a selective technique is intra-arterial-chilled saline (IACS). This technique infuses cooled saline through the carotid artery, directly targeting injured tissue. Other models have shown that IACS can reduce brain damage, but IACS has not been used in ICH. Using a rat model of ICH, we sought to determine whether IACS is safe to administer and neuroprotective. Male Sprague-Dawley rats (n=85) were used for 4 experiments to determine the effects of IACS on brain and body temperatures, hematoma size, blood-brain-barrier (BBB) integrity, and behavioural outcomes. All experiments employed a clinically relevant dose of saline. While we observed a mild temperature drop, our model of IACS did not promote neuroprotection. Accordingly, there were no statistically significant differences in hematoma size, BBB integrity, and behavioural outcomes between the two groups. In conclusion, while IACS was safe to administer, it was ineffective in our model of ICH.

Poster

Authors & Affiliations

Lane J Liddle (Department of Psychology, University of Alberta), Brittany J Prokop (Department of Psychology, University of Alberta), Christine A Dirks (Department of Psychology, University of Alberta), Andrew Demchuk (Cumming School of Medicine, Neurology, University of Calgary), Mohammed Almekhlafi (Cumming School of Medicine, Neurology, University of Calgary), Frederick Colbourne (Department of Psychology, University of Alberta)