Striatal extracellular dopamine levels are not increased by hyperglycemic exacerbation of ischemic brain damage in rats.

We tested the hypothesis that hyperglycemic exacerbation of incomplete forebrain ischemia is mediated by increased extracellular dopamine levels. Normoglycemic and hyperglycemic Sprague-Dawley rats (eight each) with previously placed coaxial striatal microdialysis probes underwent 12 min of forebrain ischemia produced by bilateral carotid artery occlusion and trimethaphan-induced hypotension. Microdialysis was performed before, during, and for 6 h after ischemia, then perfusion-fixation was performed. Hyperglycemic rats had more severe postischemic damage in the caudate-putamen, neocortex, and hippocampus. Extracellular striatal dopamine levels were increased by ischemia, but were unaffected by hyperglycemia. These data show that hyperglycemic exacerbation of ischemic striatal damage does not depend on elevated extracellular dopamine levels.