ELECTRON MICROSCOPIC OBSERVATIONS OF EXPERIMENTAL CARBON MONOXIDE ENCEPHALOPATHY IN THE ACUTE PHASE

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Abstract
The cerebral and cerebellar lesions of cats exposed to 0.3% CO under artificial espiration were examined EM at different intervals. During the 1st few days, the most outstanding features were segmental empty axonal swelling, dilatation of the extracellular space, swelling and necrosis of astrocytes and oligodendroglias and lamellar separation of the myelin sheath predominantly in the deep cerebral white matter. These changes subsided within 1 wk. Collapsed myelin increased in number and phagocytosis of disintegrated myelin was occasionally observed. Astrocytes and oligodendroglias became prominent in size and number. Changes suggestive of selective damage of myelin or oligodendroglia were not encountered. CO-induced experimental cerebral damage may be fundamentally an axonal injury followed by Wallerian degeneration. The pathogenesis of CO-encephalopathy was also discussed.