People who suffer traumatic brain injuries may benefit from moderate reductions in body temperature immediately afterward, according to new research involving rats.
The findings, published in the journal Therapeutic Hypothermia and Temperature Management, indicate such patients may recover better because mild hypothermia may limit brain tissue damage after an injury.
For the study, researchers with the Logistics College of the Chinese People's Armed Police Forces compared the effects of normal temperature and hypothermia on rats with brain injuries. The animals treated with hypothermia had significantly improved behavioral scores, less severe measures of lasting brain damage, and better cognitive function.
"This interesting manuscript provides new information underlying the beneficial effects of mild hypothermia on cellular responses to [brain injury] and identifies an important target for therapeutic treatments," said W. Dalton Dietrich, editor-in-chief of the journal.
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