[Changes in brain metabolism in hepatic coma]

After controlling the physiological parameters during 6 hours of experimental hepatic coma in Sprague-Dawley rats the results show 1. No shortage of brain energy supply of the four main cerebral energy reserves, the brain glycogen is significantly elevated, and the phosphocreatine, ATP and glucose unaltered. 2. No alterations in intermediates of the glycolytic pathway and the tricarboxylic acid cycle in brain tissue. 3. A highly significant decrease in the brain content of the "excitatory" transmitter amino acids glutamate and aspartate. These findings do not support the well-known hypothesis of BESSMAN and BESSMANN and later authors on the role of ammonia in the pathogenesis of hepatic coma.