[Analysis of the population of Purkinje's cells in the cerebellar cortex of dogs subjected to heart arrest].

The population of Purkinje's cells (PC) was studied in the cerebellum cortex of 5 mongrel dogs that suffered 12-minute circulatory arrest caused by electric trauma followed by complete external recovery of the neurological status. Morphometric analysis revealed that 2 weeks after resuscitation the total number of PC per mm of their layer length remains unchanged, while the composition of the population drastically changes. In all the zones of the cerebellum studied, the number of PC having different morphological changes increases, whereas the number of light PC was significantly decreased. The result of the changes was that 2 weeks after clinical death, dark cells constituted half the normal (morphologically unchanged) population of PC. Meanwhile in the control group, dark PC constituted 1/3 of the population. Cytophotometry revealed that in both groups of animals (the intact and with a history of clinical death) the dark PC are characterized by the increased content of nucleic acid, as compared to that of the light PC. It is suggested that the increase in the relative number of the dark PC in the cerebellum cortex of dogs after systemic circulation arrest is related to the transition of intracellular physiological regeneration to the reparative one. Therefore, both pathological and compensatory processes are seen in the dog cerebellum cortex 2 weeks after resuscitation. It was disclosed that PC of the lateral zone of the cerebellum hemisphere are most vulnerable, while those of the medial zone (vermis cerebelli) are most viable.