Monocarboxylate transporter 4 (MCT4) is a high‑capacity lactate transporter in cells and the alteration in MCT4 expression harms cellular survival. The present study investigated whether hypothermia affects tumor necrosis factor‑α (TNF‑α) and MCT4 immunoreactivity in the subfield cornu ammonis 1 (CA1) following cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (IR) in gerbils. Hypothermia was induced for 30 min before and during ischemia. It was found that IR‑induced death of pyramidal neurons was markedly augmented and occurred faster under hyperthermia than under normothermia. TNF‑α immunoreactivity in the pyramidal cells started to increase at 3 h after IR and peaked at 1 day after IR under normothermia. However, in hyperthermic control and sham operated gerbils, TNF‑α immunoreactivity was significantly increased compared with the normothermic gerbils, and IR under hyperthermia caused a more rapid and significant increase in TNF‑α immunoreactivity in pyramidal neurons than under normothermia. In addition, in the normothermic gerbils, MCT4 immunoreactivity began to decrease in pyramidal neurons from 3 h after IR and markedly increased at 1 and 2 days after IR. On the other hand, MCT4 immunoreactivity in pyramidal neurons of the hyperthermic gerbils was significantly increased from 3 h after IR, maintained until 1 day after IR and markedly decreased at 2 days after IR. These results indicate that acceleration of IR‑induced neuronal death under hyperthermia might be closely associated with early alteration of TNF‑α and MCT4 protein expression in the gerbil hippocampus after IR.