Preservation of hippocampal brain slices with in vivo or in vitro hypothermia.

Hippocampal brain slices show CA1 injury similar to that seen after global ischemia in vivo. Cooling rats to 31 degrees C prior to sacrifice or cooling slices to 21 degrees C for 45 min increased the percentage of normal CA1 pyramidal cells after 5 h in vitro from 30% to over 80%. Brain slices also show a unique, consistent injury in dentate which is lessened by transient cooling to 21 degrees C but not by cooling the animal.