Relative susceptibility of elements of the cerebral cortex to mechanical trauma in the rat

Abstract

✓ A model system for the study of trauma to elements of the central nervous system is described. It consists of floating samples of cortex (1 mm3) in nutrient medium. After variable amounts of trauma the cortical samples are allowed to grow in tissue culture, or their individual cytoarchitectonic layers are studied metabolically in the Cartesian diver. The results indicate that neurons are the most labile cellular elements when the cerebral cortex is exposed to mechanical trauma. The glia are the next most vulnerable to damage while the fibroblastic series are highly resistant to concussive forces.