Immunohistochemical patterns of selective cellular vulnerability in human cerebral ischemia

Although specific patterns of cellular vulnerability have been identified in experimental models of cerebral ischemia, there is little data on the occurrence of similar abnormalities in human ischemia. We therefore used a variety of histochemical methods to define changes affecting specific classes of cells in post-mortem specimens from seven patients with hippocampal and neocortical ischemic lesions. In acute lesions, staining with SMI-32, an antibody directed against nonphosphorylated neurofilaments that labels pyramidal projection neurons, was prominently depleted even when conventional Nissl staining revealed only mild pyknosis. In contrast, staining for other markers such as microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP-2), another cytoskeletal protein, or parvalbumin, a calcium-binding protein found in gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-ergic interneurons, were relatively preserved. SMI-32 antibody also labeled dystrophic axons and axonal retraction balls in and around acute ischemic lesions. The pattern of differential changes in immunoreactivity was essentially the same in all acute ischemic injuries, including both diffuse lesions in the CA1 field (Sommer's sector) and discrete infarcts in CA1 and neocortex. In addition, immunoreactivity for the immediate early gene product c-fos was enhanced in and around the acute ischemic lesions that we studied. In some very acute lesions, immunoreactivity for glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) was depleted in areas of severe ischemia and necrosis, but, as expected, GFAP immunoreactivity was increased in lesions more than a few days old. In contrast, the loss of SMI-32 immunoreactivity persisted in chronic lesions. These findings are consistent with those of experimental ischemia in animals and confirm the relevance of these studies for human cerebral ischemia. The pattern of selective changes also resembles that of injuries induced directly by excitatory amino acids, which may play a significant role in the pathogenesis of ischemic damage.