Background:In the cranial cavity, a space-occupying mass such as epidural hematoma usually leads to compression of brain. Removal of a large compressive mass under the cranial vault is critical to the patients. Objective:The purpose of this study was to examine whether and to what extent epidural decompression of the rat primary somatosensory cortex affects the underlying microvessels, spiny stellate neurons and their afferent fibers. Methods:Rats received epidural decompression with preceding 1-week compression by implantation of a bead. The thickness of cortex was measured using brain coronal sections. The permeability of blood-brain barrier (BBB) was assessed by Evans Blue and immunoglobulin G extravasation. The dendrites and dendritic spines of the spiny stellate neurons were revealed by Golgi— Cox staining and analyzed. In addition, the thalamocortical afferent (TCA) fibers in the cortex were illustrated using anterograde tracing and examined. Results:The cortex gradually regained its thickness over time and became comparable to the sham group at 3 days after decompression. Although the diameter of cortical microvessels were unaltered, a transient disruption of the BBB was observed at 6 hours and 1 day after decompression. Nevertheless, no brain edema was detected. In contrast, the dendrites and dendritic spines of the spiny stellate neurons and the TCA fibers were markedly restored from 2 weeks to 3 months after decompression. Conclusions:Epidural decompression caused a breakdown of the BBB, which was early-occurring and short-lasting. In contrast, epidural decompression facilitated a late-onset and prolonged recovery of the spiny stellate neurons and their afferent fibers.

中文翻译：

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去除压缩性物质会导致血脑屏障的短暂破坏，但会导致大鼠体感皮层中多刺星状神经元的长期恢复

背景：在颅腔内，硬膜外血肿等占位性肿块通常会导致大脑受压。去除颅顶下方的大压缩块对患者来说至关重要。目的：本研究的目的是检查对大鼠初级躯体感觉皮层进行硬膜外减压是否以及在多大程度上影响下面的微血管、多刺星状神经元及其传入纤维。方法：大鼠接受硬膜外减压，并通过植入珠粒进行 1 周加压。使用脑冠状切片测量皮质的厚度。通过伊文思蓝和免疫球蛋白 G 外渗评估血脑屏障 (BBB) 的通透性。多刺星状神经元的树突和树突棘通过高尔基-考克斯染色显露并分析。此外，皮质中的丘脑皮层传入 (TCA) 纤维使用顺行追踪进行了说明和检查。结果：皮层随着时间的推移逐渐恢复其厚度，并在减压后 3 天变得与假手术组相当。虽然皮质微血管的直径没有改变，但在减压后 6 小时和 1 天观察到 BBB 的短暂中断。尽管如此，没有检测到脑水肿。相比之下，多刺星状神经元的树突和树突棘以及TCA纤维在减压后2周至3个月明显恢复。结论：硬膜外减压导致血脑屏障破坏，其发生早且持续时间短。相比之下，硬膜外减压促进了多刺星状神经元及其传入纤维的迟发性和长期恢复。