Cardiac arrest is a common cause of brain injury. When the brain is deprived of oxygen, not only can cells die, but surviving cells can suffer damage resulting in long-term sensory dysfuntion in the cortex. The cerebral cortex is the outer covering of the brain – the gray matter that covers hemispheres of the brain like a helmet. This is the part of the brain that receives sensory input, such as vision, hearing and touch, and areas of the cortex are also involved in more complex functions, such as memory, language, creativity, judgement and emotion.
The research team studied the long-term impact of cardiac arrest on the cortex in a rat model. They measured sensory response and found that after oxygen deprivation, the sensory circuits in the cortex are less responsive with behavioral deficits. Their data suggest that cardiac arrest and resuscitation permanently affect cortical circuit function in survivors.
According to the American Heart Association, more than 350,000 Americans experienced out-of-hospital cardiac arrest last year. With bystander CPR, 46.1% survived.
The research team also included Drs. Daniel J. Simons, Robert S. B. Clark and Patrick M. Kochanek from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Drs. Jennifer W. Simmons and Michael Shoykhet from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
The research was supported by NIH Grants K08 NS-082362, 75 NS19950, HD045968, the Pediatric Critical Care Scientist Development Program (5K12-HD04739-8, University of Utah), Children’s Discovery Institute of the St. Louis Children’s Hospital, McDonnell Center for Systems Neuroscience and Child Health Research Center of Excellence in Developmental Biology at Washington University School of Medicine (K12-HD01487).