Influence of neonatal focal cerebral hypoxia-ischemia on cardiovascular and neurobehavioral functions in adult Wistar rats.

No experimental studies looked at the disturbances appearing after a neonatal focal cerebral hypoxia-ischemia (HI) when animals become adults. Using radiotelemetry, we examined the effects of neonatal focal cerebral HI on blood pressure (BP), heart rate (HR), locomotor activity (LA), body temperature (BT) levels and circadian rhythm parameters of unrestrained adult Wistar rats. At 15 weeks of age, we continuously recorded the cardiovascular and neurobehavioral parameters of HI (n = 6) and sham-operated (n = 6) rats. In adult rats, HI induced persistent hypertensive effects associated with alteration in BP circadian rhythms and pronounced decreases in mesor and percent rhythm of LA. HR and BT parameters were not significantly modified. Therefore, our results suggest that the rat cardiovascular and behavioural circadian control systems may involve several structures which present selective vulnerability to early cerebral HI.