Acute brain damage induced by low dosage x‐irradiation

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Abstract
Rats receiving limited head X-irradiation between 500 and 10,000 r showed, within one week following exposure, a decrease in activity, anorexia and weight loss. The granule cells of the cerebellum showed increasing pyknosis and shrinkage with increasing doses. Preliminary examination indicates that this alteration is reversible. Acute swelling of oligodendroglia leading, apparently, to necrosis reached a maximum 6 to 24 hours after irradiation. The total numbers of altered oligodendrocytes per animal is directly related to the total X-ray dosage. Morphologic alteration begins with clumping and deeper staining of chromatin beneath the nuclear membrane, followed by nuclear pyknosis and karyorrhexis, accompanied by swelling of cytoplasm and retraction of processes. The third stage is characterized by a single, deeply stained pyknotic nucleus without cytoplasm. These cells have been found to be Feulgen-positive after DNAase digestion has effected hydrolysis of the DNA of normal cells. Microglia and astrocytes showed only limited morphologic change.

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