Blood-brain barrier disruption and ventricular enlargement are the earliest neuropathological changes in rats with repeated sub-concussive impacts over 2 weeks.

ABSTRACT: Repeated sub-concussive impact (e.g. soccer ball heading), a significantly lighter form of mild traumatic brain injury, is increasingly suggested to cumulatively alter brain structure and compromise neurobehavioural function in the long-term. However, the underlying mechanisms whereby repeated long-term sub-concussion induces cerebral structural and neurobehavioural changes are currently unknown. Here, we utilised an established rat model to investigate the effects of repeated sub-concussion on size of lateral ventricles, cerebrovascular blood-brain barrier (BBB) integrity, neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, and biochemical distribution. Following repeated sub-concussion 3 days per week for 2 weeks, the rats showed significantly enlarged lateral ventricles compared with the rats receivin

SUBMITTER: Hiles-Murison B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8084989 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature