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Basic mechanisms underlying cerebrovascular permeability responses to subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) are still to be defined in detail. Previous investigations examining the occurrence of blood-brain barrier (BBB) breakdown after SAH in the experimental setting have yielded conflicting results. In a rat model of SAH, we assessed BBB changes by means of the quantitative 14C-alpha-aminoisobutyric acid technique. Experiments were carried out on the second day post-SAH. In blood-injected rats 14C-alpha-aminoisobutyric acid transport across the BBB increased significantly in cerebral cortices and cerebellar gray matter, averaging 1.3 to 1.5 times control values. The present data indicate that SAH induces well-defined changes in BBB function, possibly involved in the pathogenesis of post-SAH cerebral dysfunction in humans. Results reported here have also potential clinical implications for the management of aneurysm patients.
Germanó et al. (Mon,) studied this question.