Cerebral Glucose Metabolism in an Immature Rat Model of Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury

Abstract Altered cerebral metabolism and mitochondrial function have been identified in experimental and clinical studies of pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI). Metabolic changes detected using 1H (proton) magnetic resonance spectroscopy correlate with long-term outcomes in children after severe TBI. We previously identified early (4-h) and sustained (24-h and 7-day) abnormalities in brain metabolites after controlled cortical impact (CCI) in immature rats. The current study aimed to identify specific alterations of cerebral glucose metabolism at 24 h after TBI in immature rats. Rats (postnatal days 16–18) underwent CCI to the left parietal cortex. Sham rats underwent craniotomy only. Twenty-four hours after CCI, rats were injected (intraperitoneally) with [1,6-13C]glucose. Brains were removed, separated into hemispheres, and frozen. Metabolites were extracted with perchloric acid and analyzed using 1H and 13C-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. TBI resulted in decreases in N-acetylaspartate in b...