Altered local cerebral glucose utilization by unilateral frontal cortical ablations in rats

Alterations in local cerebral glucose utilization (LCGU) following ablations of the unilateral frontal cortex in rats were studied to elucidate the effect of the lesion on the functional activity in the related cerebral structures. Frontal cortical ablations (areas 2, 4, 6 and 10) were made by aspiration on the left side, and LCGU was evaluated at 7 days after the operation, using the [14C]deoxyglucose method. Significant decreases in LCGU in rats with unilateral frontal cortical ablations, were observed in the ipsilateral thalamic nuclei (ventroanterior-ventrolateral (VAL), ventrobasal (VB), reticular), red nucleus and pontine nucleus. The ipsilateral globus pallidus showed a significant LCGU increase. The contralateral cerebellar cortex showed a tendency toward a decrease in LCGU. The striatum, which receives direct projections from the frontal cortex, showed no LCGU change. These results indicated that ablations of unilateral frontal cortex in rats produced LCGU changes in the cerebral structures which have direct or indirect neuronal connections with the ablated area. These LCGU changes were, for the most part, brought about by alteration in the neuronal activity. Particularly, the LCGU increase in the globus pallidus which receives transsynaptic neuronal input from the frontal cortex, without changes in the striatum, which receives direct projection, was attributed to the functional alteration of the globus pallidus produced by the cortical ablation. Destructive lesion of a cerebral structure, therefore, does not necessarily cause functional depressions in the pertinent structures, but it may enhance the function of some structures, depending on the functional characteristics of each neuronal connection and functional organization of those structures.