Central nervous system radiation injury in large models

It is the purpose of this paper to summarize the pertinent findings from an extensive history of large animal work on radiation-induced normal brain injury and to introduce new approaches that might elucidate factors involved in the development and expression of injury. Although there are considerable data on the acute effects of very high doses on the central nervous system, our discussion will be focused on the so-called delayed effects of radiation in the therapeutic range, or effects that are generally seen after a latent period of months to years