Danielle Christa Brink1, Brittany Renshaw Bitner2, Leela Cherian1, Robia G. Pautler2, Claudia S. Robertson1
1Neurosurgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA; 2Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) results in potentially severely compromised cerebral vasculature and significantly reduced regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF). Here we explore the effect of TBI on rCBF in mice using MRI techniques. Wildtype mice and transgenic mice deficient for the enzyme arginase were aneasthetized, intubated, and underwent severe cortical impact injury (3m/s; 1.5mm deformation). Imaging was done pre- and post-injury to assess changes in rCBF and injury site. Arginase deficient mice demonstrated overall higher reperfusion compared to wildtype mice suggesting that arginase is a key enzyme in the regulatory mechanism for recovery from TBI.