Brian Andrews-Shigaki1, 2, Yifan Chen1, Asamoah Bosomtwi2, Reed Selwyn2, Haiying Tang2
1Military & Emergency Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, United States; 2Radiology & Radiological Sciences, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, United States
The effects of heat stress on the brain remain undetermined. Ee analyzed changes in metabolites from selected brain regions in mice following heat exposure using proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (1H-MRS). In the hypothalamus, significant decreases in NAA and Cr were shown 24 hours after heat exposure. In addition, significant increases in Glx were also demonstrated in the cerebellum. Results show no changes in metabolites in the hippocampus. Neuronal injury from heat stress is not homogeneously distributed in the brain and is localized hypothalamus. Increase of Glx in the cerebellum is unexpected and should be investigated further.