Changes in the glial condition in different sections of the rat brain after stopping the systemic circulation

: The effect of ischemia on the expression of GFAP in astrocytes of cerebrum, hippocampus and cerebellum was studied on rat clinical death model. Cardiac arrest was induced by 10-or 15-min intrathoracic compression of the heart vascular bundle. Immunohistochemical staining showed that GFAP immunoreactivity significantly increased in the white matter, and GFAP-expressing astrocytes appeared in the gray matter. The reaction activity correlated with ischemia duration and phases of postresuscitation process. The obtained data are indicative of possible changes in the astrocytes condition in the absence of manifest lesions of neurons. This brings up the question of the role of glia homeostasis derangements in the formation of brain postresuscitation pathology.