The use of vitamin A-deficient diets and jugular vein ligation to increase intracranial pressure in chickens (Gallus gallus)

W. J. Kuenzel, A. M. Rowland, P. B. Pillai, T. I. O'Connor-Dennie, J. L. Emmert, R. F. Wideman

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

A technique was developed to record intracranial cerebrospinal fluid pressure (iCSFp) in chicks and mature chickens. Using that procedure, 2 methods were found to effect a significant elevation in intracranial pressure: 1) feeding a purified diet to roosters for 40 d containing 25% of the bird's requirement for vitamin A, and 2) ligating both jugular veins in birds. The purified diet significantly reduced plasma retinol levels from 1.080 to 0.046 μg/mL, and iCSFp was significantly elevated from 63.0 to 106.0 mmH 2O (P ≤ 0.05). Two limitations for using hypovitaminosis A diets were capillary fragility and a cisterna magna that did not develop to the size of that structure in birds of the same age fed control diets with adequate vitamin A content. The second procedure, a reversible surgical technique, showed that within 2.5 h from jugular vein ligation, intracranial pressure rose to 109.7 mmH2O, comparable with levels attained following feeding a vitamin A deficient diet to roosters. Bilateral clamping of the jugular veins overnight resulted in an elevation of iCSFp to 127 ± 8.86 mmH 2O. Results suggest that the chicken may be a useful animal model to investigate intracranial hypertension and its accompanying headaches known to occur in humans.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)537-545
Number of pages9
JournalPoultry science
Volume85
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - 2006
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Cerebrospinal fluid
  • Intracranial hypertension
  • Plasma retinol
  • Vitamin A deficiency

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Animal Science and Zoology

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