Brain-stem auditory evoked potentials in rats with high-dose pentobarbital

Brain-stem auditory evoked potentials (BAEPs) are relatively resistant to alteration by barbiturate drugs, but the effects of the high doses that are used clinically to produce deep barbiturate coma for the treatment of intracranial hypertension and postischemic anoxic encephalopathy on BAEPs are unknown. We gave high-dose pentobarbital infusions to mechanically ventilated rats while recording serial BAEPs from the scalp. Pentobarbital progressively suppressed and then abolished all peaks. First the later waves, then all but the first wave, and finally all waves were abolished at intravenous doses of 120, 220, and 260 mg/kg, respectively, in addition to the initial anesthetic dose of 60 mg/kg i.p. The changes were at least partially reversible; peaks returned in reverse order of their disappearance. Peak latencies increased with dose. The results show a significant effect of pentobarbital on BAEPs in the rat, suggesting that BAEPs may be useful in assessing the depth of and recovery from barbiturate coma.