[Effect of ischemia on the gigantocellular nucleus in rats]

The gigantocellular region of the reticular formation of the brain stem of rat was studied two weeks and one month after complete, 5-min ischemia. Edematous changes affected some large neurons, especially their dendrites, as well as some astrocytes. An increased number of polymorphic lysosomes and lipid droplets was observed in large neurons. Some of them exhibited an abundance of cytoskeleton elements, i.e., neurotubules and neurofilaments. These ultrastructural changes persisted one month after the ischemic incident.