AUTHOR=Yoneda Kazuhiro , Hosomi Sanae , Ito Hiroshi , Togami Yuki , Oda Sayaka , Matsumoto Hisatake , Shimazaki Junya , Ogura Hiroshi , Oda Jun 

TITLE=How can heatstroke damage the brain? A mini review

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Neuroscience

VOLUME=Volume 18 - 2024

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnins.2024.1437216

DOI=10.3389/fnins.2024.1437216

ISSN=1662-453X

ABSTRACT=Record-breaking heat waves over the past 20 years have led to a global increase in heat-related deaths, including heatstroke. Heat-related illnesses occur when the body cannot adapt to the elevated temperatures in the environment, leading to various symptoms. In severe situations, such as heatstroke, the body temperature can rise above 40°C, leading to significant injury to body systems, with particular susceptibility of the central nervous system (CNS). Neuroimaging studies conducted months or years after a heatstroke have revealed cellular damage in the cerebellum and other brain regions, including the hippocampus, midbrain, and thalamus, with the potential for long-term neurological complications in survivors of a heatstroke. This mini review aimed to describe the mechanisms and pathways underlying the development of brain injury induced by heatstroke and identify diagnostic imaging tools and biomarkers for injury to the CNS due to a heatstroke.