EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF WERNICKES ENCEPHALOPATHY

The tissue changes, in the experimentally produced acute and subacute Wernicke-syndrome in pigeons and in rats, are characterised by primary hydropic swelling of glial and neuronal cell processes. Apparently there is no initial disturbance of the blood brain barrier. The spongy necrosis with tissue breakdown and myelin degeneration occurs specially in the advanced stages of the lesion. We did not find any obvious damage of capillary basal membrane or the specific alteration of glial cell bodies as observed by Collins in his chronic stage of experiment. From our preliminary autohistoradiographic studies it can also be concluded that there is a lack of glial proliferation in the acute stage of experimental Wernickesyndrome. © 1968 Springer-Verlag.