[Cerebral blood flow metabolism and behavior following cerebral infarction in the awake rat (author's transl)].

In the awake rats, a cerebral ischemia was performed by means of 2,000 microspheres administered into the internal carotid via a chronic catheter. After a coma lasting for a few minutes and a 24-48 h palsy, the Long Evans rats gradually recover a normal behavior. The acquisition of an avoidance response is deeply disturbed by microembolization but the capacities of memorization reappeared with the regression of oedema. 7 days after embolization, the cerebral blood flow in ischemized hemisphere was still significantly decreased, and in spite the glucose consumption was identical in ischemized and non ischemized side. This latter parameter is a better index of the cell activity. This model in the awake rat was proposed for the study of molecules used in cerebral ischemia without interference of anesthetics drugs.