Cerebral Uric Acid Increases Following Experimental Traumatic Brain Injury in Rat

Following traumatic brain injury (TBI), cortical and thalamic areas were analyzed histologically and by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection for uric acid at various survival times. Following TBI, cortical uric acid was elevated by ten-fold at 24 and 48 h, but not at 1 h post-TBI. Histological evidence of neurodegeneration was found not only in cortex but also in the anteroventral thalamus. These data suggest that as in stroke, uric acid measurements may be a convenient and sensitive method for measuring peroxidative status in TBI.