Effects of the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor blocker MK-801 on neurologic function after experimental brain injury

Pharmacologic inhibition of excitatory amino acid (EAA) neurotransmission attenuates cell death in models of global and focal ischemia and hypoglycemia and improves neurologic outcome after experimental traumatic spinal cord injury. The present study examined the effects of the noncompetitive N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor blocker MK-801 on cardiovascular and neurologic function after experimental fluid-percussion (FP) brain injury in the rat. Animals received either an intravenous bolus of MK-801 (1 mg/kg) or saline (equal volume) 15 min prior to FP brain injury or 15 min following FP brain injury. MK-801 pretreatment significantly improved postinjury cardiovascular variables and attenuated postinjury neurologic dysfunction. Postinjury treatment with MK-801 also significantly improved cardiovascular variables, but had little effect on postinjury neurologic scores. These results suggest that EAA neurotransmitters may be involved in the pathophysiological sequelae of traumatic brain injury and that noncompetitive blockade of the NMDA receptor prior to brain injury may reduce EAA-induced damage and limit neurologic dysfunction.