Barbiturate-enhanced detection of brain lesions by carbon-14-labeled 2-deoxyglucose autoradiography

Cerebral glucose metabolism in rats was examined 1 week after the production by ibotenic acid of unilateral striatal lesions. The incorporation of carbon-14-labeled deoxyglucose decreased within the lesion but much less than that of carbon-14-labeled glucose. Barbiturate anesthesia caused a reversal of the asymmetric striatal deoxyglucose labeling, such that the lesioned striatum retained more tracer than the contralateral side. The combined use of barbiturates and radiolabeled deoxyglucose may enhance the identification of recent brain infarction in experimental animals and in man.