Comparative Analysis of Structural Changes in the Neurons of the Occipital Lobe Cortex of Rats in Total and Partial Obstructive Respiratory Hypoxia

Acute respiratory failure, which can be caused by airway obstruction due to various reasons, leads to the development of respiratory hypoxia, which primarily affects the brain. When studying the occipital cortex of rats under conditions of total and partial respiratory hypoxia, structural changes were revealed after 30 and 60 minutes, which were manifested in a change in the size and shape of neurons, the degree of staining of their cytoplasm. Total respiratory hypoxia lasting 30 minutes is characterized by a change in the shape of neurons in the form of a loss of sphericity with an increase in elongation, and for a 60-minute period, a decrease in the area (by 40%, p <0.05) of neurons is characteristic with a simultaneous significant increase in the number of hyperchromic wrinkled neurons in both time intervals to 75% and 80%, respectively. While partial respiratory hypoxia in both studied periods led to an increase in the area (by 22% and 42%, respectively, p<0.05) of neurons without changing their shape with a simultaneous increase in the number of hypochromic neurons with signs of swelling and shadow cells (up to 75% and up to 90%, respectively). These differences are due to different severity of acute oxygen deficiency.