Abstract: Objective To observe the alteration of nestin intervals in the experimental traumatic brain injury and investigate its relation to the injury intervals. Methods The rat brain contusion was conducted by falling impact injury. After various survival interval (0.5,6,12 h and 1,3,7,14,28 d), immunohistochemical SP method was used for observing the expression of nestin in the cortex, hippocampal dentate gyrus and the corpus callosum on injury side. Results Expression of nestin positive cells increased at 0.5 h and reached the maximum level in 7 d after brain contusion, then the expression decreased gradually. The intensity of nestin staining in the the cortex and the hippocampal dentate gyrus decreased to normal on 28 d. As to the corpus callosum of injury side it remained weak on 28 d. Conclusion The changes of nestin immunohistochemical staining can be used as an index for forensic estimation of early injury time.

Key words: brain contusion, nestin, injury time, immunohistochemistry