47
Now, these two injuries are devastating. In cerebral stroke if no
treatment is applied, the animal will either become comatose or
lethargic or die. In the case of permanent spinal cord injury, if no
treatment is applied, the animal will be permanently paralyzed.
We noticed that after the administration of DMSO-and all these
doses were given intravenously-that there was an increase in
spinal cord blood flow to the region of trauma.
This is a very important effect because one of the first things
that happens after trauma to the spinal cord is that there is a
reduction of oxygen and blood flow because the vessels constrict or
shut down the spilling of enzymes and other materials into the
tissue.
The tissue then swells up. If you don't apply some treatment it
may eventually lead to paralysis.
We also noticed in our cerebral stroke models that the same
thing happened, that is, there was an increase in cerebral blood
flow in the area infarcted.
There was a significant reduction of brain edema. This is an
accumulation of water in the brain. The water in the brain accu-
mulates as a result of trauma. The trauma lyses many of the cells
and they spill out their contents into the tissue, increasing water
content and thus pressure in the brain.
Now, because the brain is encased in a bony box, the cranium, if
it has no release of the pressure being built, it will eventually
compress important centers in the medulla and lead to death. So,
DMSO significantly reduced the brain edema that was present in
these animals.
The CHAIRMAN. Excuse me just a minute. You mean it will have
the effect of drying up the water?
Dr. DE LA TORRE. Yes, precisely. We have theorized many things
about the action of DMSO. Indeed, it would take me several hours
just to explain some of these properties to you. I don't think that
we have the time, because it is an extremely complex picture,
biochemically.
But, it does appear to pick up water, carry it to blood vessels,
and then remove it from the brain. So it really dries out the brain,
in a sense.
The CHAIRMAN. Would it have that same effect upon blood that
might seep through the cranium, the cavity that you were talking
about?
Dr. DE LA TORRE. Well, the blood in itself is not harmful in the
sense that there is something toxic about it. It is simply the volume
that these blood cells contain. When they spill out of their blood
vessels, they start compressing the tissue itself.
Now, if they happen to be compressing the tissue in an area that
is critical to survival, naturally irreversible damage will occur, or
even death.
The CHAIRMAN. I recall one case where as much as a half a pint
of blood accumulated on either side of that cranial cavity that you
are speaking about, which required an operation.
Now, would there have been a possibility that this might in some
way or another have been able to dispense with that blood?
Dr. DE LA TORRE. Well, I should explain that there are two types
of injuries when we deal with stroke. One is the hemorrhagic
