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Updated: May 23, 2025
Real-Time Dynamic Collection of Hippocampal Extracellular Fluid from Conscious Rats Using a Microdialysis System
Published on: October 21, 2022
Cerebral microdialysis values in healthy brain tissue - a scoping review
Ingrid Løchen Granerud1, Maria Louise Fabritius2, Helene Ravnholt Jensen2
1Copenhagen Neuroanaesthesiology and Neurointensive Care Research Group (CONICA), Department of Neuroanaesthesiology, The Neuroscience Centre, Copenhagen University Hospital - Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark. ingrid.loechen.granerud.01@regionh.dk.
Establishing reference values for brain metabolism markers is crucial for intensive care. This review found significant heterogeneity in current data, limiting conclusions and highlighting the need for comparable studies.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Intensive Care Medicine
- Biomarker Analysis
Background:
- Intracerebral microdialysis analyzes brain metabolism markers in severe acute brain injury.
- Current clinical decisions rely on trends, not absolute values, in microdialysate concentrations.
- Establishing reference values in healthy brain tissue can improve early detection of metabolic abnormalities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To summarize literature on microdialysate concentrations of brain energy metabolism markers in healthy human and animal brains.
- To identify existing data on glucose, lactate, pyruvate, glutamate, and glycerol in vivo.
- To assess the feasibility of establishing reference values for clinical decision support.
Main Methods:
- Comprehensive literature search across multiple databases (MEDLINE, Embase, CENTRAL, CINAHL, Web of Science).
- Inclusion of clinical trial registries to identify unpublished studies.
- Quality assessment of included studies using a pre-specified protocol.
Main Results:
- 39 studies were included, with data from humans (n=54) and various gyrencephalic animals (pigs, monkeys, sheep, dogs).
- High clinical and methodological heterogeneity was observed across both human and animal studies.
- The quality of human studies was often moderate, impacting data reliability.
Conclusions:
- A substantial heterogeneity exists in microdialysis measurements of brain metabolism markers in healthy tissue.
- Current data is insufficient to establish reliable reference values for clinical use.
- Future research requires methodologically comparable studies to determine accurate reference values for intracerebral microdialysis markers.
