Therapeutic effect of hypothermia and dizocilpine maleate on traumatic brain injury in neonatal rats

This study was undertaken to evaluate the therapeutic effect of hypothermia and dizocilpine maleate in traumatic brain injury (TBI) on newborn rats. After induction of TBI, physiologic and histopathological assessments were performed on both the control and therapeutic groups to evaluate the effects of both agents. Rats were assigned into four groups as follows: normothermic (n = 23), hypothermic (n = 18), normothermia plus dizocilpine maleate (n = 18) and hypothermia plus dizocilpine maleate (n = 18). All the rats were injured using a weight-drop head injury model, artificially ventilated with a 33% O-2 and 66% NO2 Mixture, and physiological parameters, intracranial pressure, and brain and rectal temperatures were recorded. Mortality, physiological, neurological parameters, and histopathological changes were assessed after 24 h. As a result, intracranial pressure, cerebral perfusion pressure, morbidity, weight loss, and microscopic changes were significantly worse in the normothermic group (p < 0.05). There was no statistical difference between other groups (p > 0.05). Hypothermia and dizocilpine maleate displayed similar neuroprotective effects in TBI on newborn rats, but no additive effect was observed.