Effect of different degrees of brain ischemia and tissue lactic acidosis on the short-term recovery of neurophysiologic and metabolic variables.

The recovery of the EEG and somatosensory evoked responses (SER) as compared with recovery of the cerebral energy state was studied in rats during recirculation following different degrees of brain ischemia with varying tissue lactic acidosis. Reversible complete and incomplete ischemia was induced either by increasing the intracranial pressure (compression ischemia) or by carotid artery clamping combined with arterial hypotension. In incomplete ischemia the degree of tissue lactic acidosis was varied by manipulations of blood and brain glucose levels. Animals with an increase in brain lactate to about 25 mumol X g-1 (whole brain wet weight) during ischemia showed persistent failure of both cerebral energy metabolism and neurophysiologic restitution during the recirculation phase; if less than 20 mumol X g-1 metabolic recovery was almost complete. Despite a similar restitution of tissue energy metabolism in these animals, neurophysiologic recovery was inversely proportional to brain lactate concentrations during ischemia. At similar levels of ischemic tissue lactic acidosis, and despite a similar recovery of cortical energy state, the neurophysiologic restitution was clearly inferior after complete ischemia to that following incomplete ischemia. Three conclusions were drawn: (i) neurophysiologic variables were more sensitive indicators of postischemic persistent cerebral dysfunction than the cerebral energy state; (ii) the degree to which lactate accumulated in the ischemic brain influenced neurophysiologic restitution even if concentrations critical for metabolic recovery were not attained; and (iii) incomplete ischemia was less harmful than complete ischemia provided that tissue lactic acidosis was not excessive.