ABSTRACT
Carbon monoxide (CO) exposure causes significant perturbations in virtually all organs in the body. This chapter reviews experimental data to identify the effects of this molecule on the brain. It deals with biochemical aspects, physiological and pathological aspects, and clinical effects with attention to behavioral changes associated with exposure to CO. CO has been shown to convert xanthine dehydrogenase to xanthine oxidase in rats. Evidence of free radical production in brain following CO exposure is supported by decreased ratios of reduced to oxidized glutathione detection of the products of salicylate hydroxylation. The effects of CO on a wide range of biochemically mediated processes determine its complex role in normal physiologic functioning and pathologic states. Examining the data in terms of cerebral vascular resistance, it is more likely that the sheep studies accurately define the physiologic finding that there is indeed a difference in the cerebrovascular response to hypoxic and CO hypoxia.
