Clinical restitution following cerebral ischemia in hypo-, normo- and hyperglycemic rats.

Rats with different levels of blood glucose concentration were exposed to 10 min of complete brain ischemia achieved by compression of neck vessels by a pneumatic cuff. All normoglycemic rats survived the ischemic period and made the best clinical recovery. Hyperglycemic rats died within 12 h. Seizure activity was observed in all animals in this group. Three of eight hypoglycemic rats died between 3 and 16 days. The clinical recovery was less complete than in the control group. Thus, recovery from cerebral ischemia depends upon preischemic blood glucose concentration. Hyper- and hypoglycemia hamper the clinical recovery after transient cerebral ischemia.