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. 2012 Nov;57(6):1519-23.
doi: 10.1111/j.1556-4029.2012.02212.x. Epub 2012 Jul 16.

Increased heat shock protein 70 gene expression in the brains of cocaine-related fatalities may be reflective of postdrug survival and intervention rather than excited delirium

Magen M Johnson  1 , James A David, Sharon K Michelhaugh, Carl J Schmidt, Michael J Bannon
Affiliations

Increased heat shock protein 70 gene expression in the brains of cocaine-related fatalities may be reflective of postdrug survival and intervention rather than excited delirium

Magen M Johnson et al. J Forensic Sci. 2012 Nov.

Abstract

Cocaine-related fatalities can pose forensic challenges, particularly when accompanied by excited delirium (ED) syndrome and interventions by law enforcement and medical personnel. A recent report concluded that elevated heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) expression in autopsy brain samples constitutes a reliable forensic biomarker for the identification of ED as a cause of death. The present study quantified the abundance of both HSPA1A and HSPA1B gene (HSP70-encoding) transcripts in midbrain specimens from a series of cocaine-related fatalities and matched drug-free control subjects. HSP70 expression was increased significantly in cocaine abusers as a group compared to control subjects, irrespective of the presence or absence of ED. Furthermore, elevated HSP70 expression was predictive of a period of survival between cocaine use and death that included medical and/or police intervention. The present data do not support the assertion that HSP70 expression is a reliable brain biomarker for identifying ED as a cause of death.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Increased Heat Shock Protein 70 Gene Expression in the Brains of Cocaine-Related Fatalities may be Reflective of Postdrug Survival and Intervention rather than Excited Delirium
Figure 2
Figure 2
Increased Heat Shock Protein 70 Gene Expression in the Brains of Cocaine-Related Fatalities may be Reflective of Postdrug Survival and Intervention rather than Excited Delirium
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

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