[kpmom]

You forgot to include the first part of your cited text:

"The body attempts to maintain the levels of nutrients, ions, and gases at constant levels appropriate for the functioning of the body (homeostasis). Severe dehydration can have adverse affects on the brain such as cell
death and seizures which can lead to increased cell death in the brain. This may be due to a change in the ionic composition of the fluid surrounding brain cells (neurons) which causes neurons to be more 'active'than usual and more sensitive to stimuli."

[kozachka]

"The body attempts to maintain the levels of nutrients, ions, and gases at constant levels appropriate for the functioning of the body (homeostasis). Severe dehydration can have adverse affects on the brain such as cell death and seizures which can lead to increased cell death in the brain. This may be due to a change in the ionic composition of the fluid surrounding brain cells (neurons) which causes neurons to be more 'active'than usual and more sensitive to stimuli."

Yes, but these would be acute changes; the changes found at autopsy were chronic changes, as evidenced by the large amount of scar tissue and sparse neurons. Recent cell death would not have caused these sorts of changes.

In other words, the pronounced neuropathologic changes found at autopsy would not have been due to dehydration and ionic imbalance.

Or was that not the point you were trying to make?