Neurophysiological recovery after hypoglycemic coma in the rat: correlation with cerebral metabolism

Recovery of electroencephalographic activity and somatosensory evoked responses was studied in paralyzed and lightly anesthetized (70% N2O) rats in which profound hypoglycemia had been induced by insulin administration. The duration of severe hypoglycemia was defined as the duration of a flat electroencephalogram (EEG) recording (5, 30, and 60 min, respectively) before restitution with glucose. The restitution period was followed by continuous EEG monitoring and repeated tests for evoked potentials. After 180 min of recovery, the brains were frozen in situ with liquid nitrogen and analyzed for energy metabolism. In accordance with earlier metabolic studies from this laboratory, the recovery after 60 min of severe hypoglycemia was incomplete, with signs of permanent failure of energy metabolism. There was persistent ATP reduction proportional to the duration of the hypoglycemia. The short-term recovery of EEG and sensory evoked responses was proportional to the duration of severe hypoglycemia. The neurophysiological recovery after 5 min of severe hypoglycemia was complete. After 30 min of severe hypoglycemia, the evoked responses recovered but showed a significant prolongation of latency, compared with normal. After 60 min of severe hypoglycemia, no early evoked response and scanty EEG activity were observed. The neurophysiological observations indicate a persistent deficit of synaptic transmission in the somatosensory pathway, including the cortical projection. This can be correlated with neuropathologic changes that are particularly prominent in intermediate cortical layers, as previously shown.