The Use of Microdialysis in the Study of Encephalopathies

Microdialysis is a technique that was devised by Bito et al. (1966) in a study to determine free aminoacids and electrolytes in cerebrospinal fluid and blood plasma in dogs. It consists of recollection of samples in specific places by using semi-permeable membranes, used to evaluate compounds (endogenous neurotransmitters or exogenous such as drugs), in extracellular spaces from different tissues as brain, skin, subcutaneous, tumors, kidney, abdominal and femoral adipose tissue, muscle, lung, middle ear fluid, and other extracellular spaces like blood. Currently, one of the main applications of this methodology in the field of neuroscience is to conduct studies to monitor the release of different substances in brain of conscious and unconscious anesthetized animals. The technique has also been used in surgical procedures as well as in monitoring patients in intensive care unit with traumatic brain injury and subarachnoid hemorrhage. It is employed in neuronal diseases like Epilepsy, Alzheimer, Parkinson, Huntington, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and Encephalopathies.