[Acute radiation cerebral disorders as an effect of neuronal DNA damage]

Early transient incapacity and cerebral radiation syndrome were shown to result from the de-energizing of the brain due to NAD and ATP neuron pools depletion since DNA breaks stimulate the repair enzyme, ADP-ribosyltransferase, that consumes NAD as a substrate. The phenomenology of syndromes, peculiarities of the CNS repair and neutron RBE might be attributed to this mechanism. DNA is thus a common target for stochastic, deterministic and physiological effects of radiation.