Local glucose utilization in acute focal cerebral ischemia: local dysmetabolism and diaschisis

By means of an autoradiographic technique employing 14C-2-deoxyglucose, abnormalities of local brain glucose utilization were studied 90 minutes following occlusion of the left middle cerebral and common carotid arteries in a series of pentobarbital-anesthetized cats. Sham-insulted control animals exhibited a normal pattern of regional glucose utilization. In animals with vascular occlusion, a zone of greatly suppressed glucose utilization occupied the caudate nucleus of the ischemic hemisphere, with variable extension, and was surrounded by a narrow rim of increased local brain glucose utilization, suggesting the occurrence of enhanced anaerobic glycolysis in the latter zones. The cerebral cortex, which was less constantly affected, showed alternating regions of increased and decreased glucose utilization. Quantitation of local brain glucose utilization values from the contralateral nonischemic hemisphere revealed a mild suppression of cortical glucose utilization relative to the control animals. This may be the metabolic equivalent of diaschisis.