title: Effect of alpha-chloralose, halothane, pentobarbital and nitrous oxide anesthesia on metabolic coupling in somatosensory cortex of rat.
abstract: The effect of various anesthetics on the functional-metabolic coupling of cerebral cortex was studied in rats submitted to unilateral somatosensory stimulation. The regional cerebral metabolic rate of glucose (CMRglc) was measured autoradiographically using the 2-deoxyglucose method, and somatosensory activation was carried out by electrical stimulation of the left forepaw. In animals treated with 70% nitrous oxide, 0.5% halothane/70% nitrous oxide or 40 mg/kg pentobarbital, CMRglc of somatosensory cortex did not change despite generation of primary evoked cortical potentials. Anesthesia with 80 mg/kg alpha-chloralose, in contrast, led to a focal increase of CMRglc in the primary somatosensory cortex from 52.1 +/- 18.3 to 73.1 +/- 18.9 mumol/100 g/min (means +/- s.d.). Metabolic activation was strictly confined to the forelimb (FL) area of somatosensory cortex, and it exhibited a laminar pattern with maximal activation in layers I, II and IV. The preservation of functional-metabolic coupling under a surgical dose of chloralose renders this anesthetic particularly suited for the investigation of coupling processes under conditions where the experimental requirements preclude the use of unanaesthetized animals.
authors.affiliation: Max-Planck-Institute for Neurological Research, Department of Experimental Neurology, Cologne, FRG.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ueki
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mies
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Hossmann
mesh_terms: D000769:Anesthesia, Inhalation; D000771:Anesthesia, Intravenous; D000818:Animals; D002698:Chloralose / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism*; D006221:Halothane / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D009609:Nitrous Oxide / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010424:Pentobarbital / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013003:Somatosensory Cortex / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D002698:Chloralose; D010424:Pentobarbital; D005947:Glucose; D009609:Nitrous Oxide; D006221:Halothane