Differences inImmunohistochemical Findings in Traumatic andHypoxic Changes of the CNS

Overview

The authors made in a group of deceased subjects with craniocerebral injuries and subjects withprotracted hypoxia without mechanical brain injury immunohistochemical investigations of neuron-specific enolase and beta-amyloid protein precursor. Neuron-specific enolase (NSE) is produced by nerve cells and is a suitable marker of neuron as well as axon damage. While the bodies ofintact nerve cells display immunoreactivity with the anti-NSE antibody, in damaged neuronsalready within two hours after injury a marked drop of this protein substance was observed aftermechanical injury as well as after protracted hypoxia. In axons altered by injury the authorsobserved the presence of NSE already within several tens of minutes after injury while hypoxia ofthe brain without mechanical injury did not produce any or only a very weak reaction of axonson examination with anti-NSE without a topographic link to the axonal lesion. Beta-amyloidprotein precursor (beta-APP) is a low molecular protein the normal values of which are notdetectable in axons by standard immunochemistry. In axons altered by injury the authors observed an increased incidence of this protein substance while in cerebral hypoxia without mechanical injury of the CNS only in rare instances a positive reaction with anti-beta-APP antibody wasfound.

Key words:
immunohistochemistry - neuron-specific enolase - beta-amyloid protein precursor -diffuse axonal injury - hypoxia