Experimental cerebral ischemia: barbiturate resistant increase in regional glucose utilization.

During the first hours after experimental occlusion of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) cerebral glucose utilization increases in the tissue adjacent to ischemic focus. To test whether the increased glucose utilization was a consequence of increased neuronal activity, the effect of preocclusion pentobarbital administration was investigated. Rats in barbiturate-induced coma showed a metabolic response to MCA occlusion similar to those seen with light halothane anesthesia. This indicates that the enhanced glucose utilization adjacent to the ischemic core is not a result of increased neuronal activity.