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Morphological alterations in the hippocampus following hypobaric hypoxia

GEO-CENTERS, INC., Newton Centre, MA 02159, USA

T. Kadar

Department of Pharmacology, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona, Israel

BE Marlowe

GEO-CENTERS, INC., Newton Centre, MA 02159, USA

MJ Stillman

GEO-CENTERS, INC., Newton Centre, MA 02159, USA

RL Galli

Military Performance and Neuroscience Division, United States Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Natick, MA 01760-5007

A. Levy

Department of Pharmacology, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona, Israel

JA Devine

Military Performance and Neuroscience Division, United States Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Natick, MA 01760-5007

HR Lieberman

Military Performance and Neuroscience Division, United States Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Natick, MA 01760-5007

1 The morphological consequences of hypobaric hypox ia, exposure to reduced pressure atmospheres, were examined in the hippocampus of male Fischer 344 rats. Severe chronic hypoxia can produce permanent neuronal damage with hippocampal structures being especially vulnerable.

2 Hippocampal morphology was studied using histolo gical observations after a 4 day exposure to sea level, 5500 m, or 6400 m. Two groups tested at 6400 m were sacrificed at different intervals following exposure, 72 and 144 h, to examine the effect of post-exposure time on neuronal damage.

3 Histological damage was observed in rats' brains following exposure to altitude, with cell degeneration and death increasing as altitude increased. In addition, it was found that the longer the time following exposure before sacrifice, the more noticeable the damage, suggest ing delayed neurotoxicity. Increases in the number of damaged cells following altitude were significant for the CA3 region of one 6400 m group; however, other differ ences did not reach statistical significance. Rats exposed to altitude for 4 days ate less and lost significantly more weight than did animals at sea level.

4 It appears that 4 days of exposure to altitudes less than or equal to 6400 m does produce changes in the CA3 subfield, but the damage is different than that seen with other models of non-transient ischemia.

Key Words: hypobaric hypoxia • chronic altitude exposure • hippo campus • delayed neurotoxicity • ischemia

Human & Experimental Toxicology, Vol. 15, No. 4, 312-319 (1996)
DOI: 10.1177/096032719601500407


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