[Deleterious effects of calcium on the pathogenesis of ischemic brain damage]

Using atomic absorption spectroscopy, we measured the regional distribution of tissue Ca++ contents of 24 rabbit brains sampled at 2,4,24 and 48 hours after the occlusion of Middle Cerebral Artery (MCAo) with accompanying histopathological examinations with 10 controls. At 2 hours after MCAo, brain tissue Ca++ concentration increased significantly (P less than 0.005) in the ischemic territory and increased further with times, far preceding the detectable pathological findings termed necrosis, which appeared at 12 hours after MCAo. It seems most probable that the deleterious effects of calcium play an important role in the pathogenesis of ischemic brain damage.