Mechanism of radiation injury in the ion transport systems of nervous tissue.

The biological effect of ionizing radiation (IR) in lethal and sublethal doses on the sodium-potassium transport systems in the fractions, enriched of neuron and glial cells and in cortex slices from rat brain was investigated. It was shown that IR leads to marked disturbances in the activity of Na,K-ATPase both in neuron and in glial cells. Some phasic character of alterations may be noted, which is expressed in different degree for various cellular elements of the brain. Using the surviving brain slices we have shown that IR causes essential phasic changes in potassium ion reaccumulation in different times after exposure. The mechanisms of the disturbance of Na,K-pump function in nervous tissue after irradiation are under discussion.