Long term exposure to heat protects against brain damage induced by closed head injury in the rat

Closed head injury leads to delayed tissue-edema, necrosis and impaired neurological function. In the present study the effect of chronic exposure to heat on the outcome of head injury in rats was investigated. Rats were held at ambient temperature of 24°C (CON) or 34°C (heat acclimated, ACC) for one month, before induction of trauma. Injury was induced by a weight drop device, falling over the left cerebral hemisphere. Twenty-four or 48 h later the rats were sacrificed and their brains removed for evaluation of edema (specific gravity or water content). Blood-brain barrier integrity (Evans blue extravasation) was evaluated 4 h after injury. One, 24 and 48 h after injury the rats were evaluated by a set of criteria which yields their clinical status (Neurological Severity Score - NSS). Forty-eight hours after trauma specific gravity of the contused hemispheres was 1.0389 ± 0.0019 and 1.0364 ± 0.0007 (P < 0.01) and water content 81.44 ± 1.28 and 84.17 ± 1.03% (P < 0.001), for ACC and CON rats, respectively. Lower degree of edema was also evident at 24 h suggesting slower rate of edema formation in ACC rats. Evans blue uptake by the contused hemisphere was 315 ± 61 and 50 ± 23 ng/g tissue in the CON and ACC rats, respectively (P < 0.001). Clinical recovery of the ACC rats was significantly better (P < 0.001) than that of the matched controls as exhibited at 48 h by median NSS values of: 10.8 (range 6-16) and 5 (range 4-6) for CON and ACC, respectively. Based on the present results we suggest that heat acclimation offers protection to rats subjected to head trauma.