Mild Hypothermia As A Treatment For Central Nervous System Injuries Positive Or Negative Effects?

Besides local neuronal damage caused by the primary insult, central nervoussystem injuries may secondarily cause a progressive cascade of related events includingbrain edema, ischemia, oxidative stress, excitotoxicity, and dysregulation of calciumhomeostasis. Hypothermia is a beneficial strategy in a variety of acute central nervoussystem injuries. Mild hypothermia can treat high intra-cranial pressure followingtraumatic brain injuries in adults. It is a new treatment that increases survival andquality of life for patients suffering from ischemic insults such as cardiac arrest, stroke,and neurogenic fever following brain trauma. Therapeutic hypothermia decreases freeradical production, inflammation, excitotoxicity and intracranial pressure, and improvescerebral metabolism after traumatic brain injury and cerebral ischemia, thus protectingagainst central nervous system dam-age. Although a series of pathological andphysiological changes as well as potential side effects are observed during hypothermiatreatment, it remains a potential therapeutic strategy for central nervous system injuriesand deserves further study.