Development of forensic neuropathology through a study on brain changes after intracerebral implantation of foreign body

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In cases of open head injuries, a foreign body may remain in the brain for a period of time after the trauma and causes brain dysfunction. We developed an animal model incorporating a foreign body in the brain. A lead or a glass ball was implanted in the cerebral cortex of rats. Brains were analyzed at various times between 12 hours and 4 weeks after implantation. The immunoreactivity of metallothionein, a metal binding protein, increased significantly in the brain with increasing time after implantation of a lead ball. Apoptotic cells were identified at 2 weeks, but had mostly disappeared at 4 weeks after implantation of a lead ball. Moreover, N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor genes were significantly suppressed at 1 to 3 weeks after implantation of a lead ball. This study showed that lead leached from a lead ball induces metallothionein expression, apoptosis and N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor gene suppression in the brain.