Aberrant distribution of tyrosine hydroxylase and substance P in infants with brain-stem infarction.

The distribution of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and substance P (SP) was examined in the brain-stem of 4 infants with respiratory abnormalities associated with remote brain-stem or cerebellar infarction utilizing immunohistochemical methods. TH-immunoreactive cells and SP-immunoreactive fibers were found in and around the area of the infarction in the tegmentum, in amounts and sites different from that seen in controls. The aberrant localization of SP and TH may represent an altered repair process associated with resolution of the infarction and may be related to abnormal respiratory control or sudden death.