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Title: Factors which affect cerebral uptake and retention of /sup 13/NH/sub 3/. [Testing in monkeys]

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:7304976

The single pass extraction of ammonia (E) by cerebral capillaries was studied in vivo in Rhesus monkeys with /sup 13/N. The value of E for /sup 13/N-ammonia was found to be less than 100%, inversely related to cerebral blood flow and to be limited by the permeability of the blood brain barrier for ammonia. A vaue of the permeability surface area product was determined to be 0.0040 x 10/sup -4/ cm/sup 3//sec/gm. The single pass extraction fraction, E, for /sup 13/N-ammonia was found to be independent of arterial blood pH (in the range of 7.2 to 7.6) and of arterial blood ammonia concentration (in the range of 80-1400 ..mu..gms/100 cc). An insulin induced hypoglycemic reduction in the cerebral metabolic rate for glucose and oxygen of 54% produced a reduction in E of about 24%. When a condition of elevated arterial blood ammonia was added to hypoglycemia, the value of E and cerebral metabolic rate for oxygen remained low while the cerebral metabolic rate for glucose increased by a factor of 2.5 indicating the presence of a detoxification shunt for ammonia. Positron tomographic images of the equilibrium cross section distribution of /sup 13/N-ammonia appeared to reflect regional differences in capillary density of the cerebral tissue.

Research Organization:
California Univ., Los Angeles (USA). Lab. of Nuclear Medicine and Radiation Biology
DOE Contract Number:
E(04-1)-GEN-12
OSTI ID:
7304976
Report Number(s):
UCLA-12-1117; TRN: 77-009693
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English