Unilateral frontal decortication changes cerebral blood flow distribution during hyperbaric oxygen exposure in rats

Distribution of rCBF was measured with 10.7 +/- 0.5 microns differently radiolabelled microspheres (MS) during control at 1 bar air, and after 5 and 35 min at 5 bar (0.5 MPa) 95% O2 on awake, habituated rats 10 d after right-sided frontal decortication. A decreased tolerance to hyperbaric O2 was found compared to normal rats of the same strain. The systolic arterial pressure increased during O2 exposure (11%, p < 0.05), the mean arterial pressure remained unchanged, but the cardiac output and heart rate fell by 29 and 14% (p < 0.01), respectively. The arterial acid-base balance remained normal during O2 exposure, although a small reduction of CO2 (24%) and HCO3 (11%) was observed (p < 0.01 and p < 0.05), possibly due to increased alveolar ventilation caused by an elevated respiratory rate of 24% (p < 0.05). The arterial O2 content at 5 bar increased by about 30% (p < 0.01). During control, blood flow in 16 regions of each hemisphere was found to be lower, more scattered, and differently distributed on the lesioned side. After 5 min at 5 bar, the blood flow fell in nearly all regions of the brain (up to 40%), similarly in the two brain halves. During the 35 min exposure, the blood flow increased, so that 60% of the examined areas on the lesioned side had blood flow levels of control or above, in contrast to the undisturbed side where blood flow remained below control values. The O2 supply to different regions varied similarly.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)