Brain ion and volume regulation during acute hypernatremia in Brattleboro rats

Regulation of brain ions and volume in response to 30 min of hypernatremia has been studied in two strains of anesthetized rats, the vasopressin-deficient Brattleboro and its vasopressin-competent parent strain, the Long-Evans. Plasma [Na] was increased by intraperitoneal injection of hyperosmolal NaCl. Brain volume was regulated during hypernatremia associated with tissue uptake of Na and Cl in both strains, but osmotically stimulated uptake of Na was 61% less in the Brattleboro. Blood-to-brain transfer constants for 22Na, measured as a function of plasma osmolality, were similar in the two strains. In contrast, bulk flow of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) into brain, induced by osmotic dehydration of brain, was 55% less in the Brattleboro. CSF secretion in unstressed animals was also reduced, by 34%, in the Brattleboro compared with the Long-Evans. Reduced Na uptake by the brain of the Brattleboro rat during hypernatremia can be explained on the basis of a three-compartment model of brain volume regulation. Results support a function for vasopressin in brain ion homeostasis.