The time course of the vascular response to human brain injury--an immunohistochemical study

In a total of 104 individuals who had sustained traumatic brain injury (TBI), the time-dependent vascular response was investigated at the injured cortical area during the first 30 weeks after the trauma. The immunohistochemical staining of the cerebral blood vessels was performed with antibodies against laminin, type IV collagen, tenascin, thrombomodulin and factor VIII associated antigen. Compared to the immunoreactivity in unaltered control tissue, a significantly increased vascular expression could be detected in cortical contusions after a postinfliction interval of at least 3 h for factor VIII, after 1.6 days for tenascin or after 6.8 days for thrombomodulin, whereas the immunostaining for laminin and type IV collagen was regularly positive even in the vascular endothelium of uninjured brain tissue.