ABSTRACT. The purpose of this study was to investigate Abbreviations the effect of plasma glucose concentration on cerebral agonal glycolytic rates in piglets of different ages. Twenty-AGR, initial agonal glycolytic rate four piglets were divided into four different age groups [glu~ose],~,,,,, arterial blood plasma glucose concentration corresponding to 113, 121, 128, and 145 d postconception 'H NMR, proton nuclear magnetic resonance (normal gestation = 115 d). For each group the agonal k, first order rate constant for lactate accumulation Km, blood plasma glucose concentration at which the glycolytic rate was measured by monitoring the rate of glycolytic rate is half maximal cerebral lactate accumulation after total ischemia. Ische-[la~tate]~,,~, final postmortem brain lactate concentration mia was induced by cardiac arrest, and the rate of lactate MAP, mean arterial blood pressure formation was measured in vivo using proton nuclear mag-V, , , , maximum agonal glycolytic rate netic resonance spectroscopy. Before cardiac arrest, the blood plasma glucose concentration for individual piglets was adjusted to a specific value in the range 1-30 mM. The dependence of agonal glycolytic rate upon blood glucose concentration was analyzed for each age group, usingThe role of glucose status in immature animals exposed to the ~i~h~~l i~-~~~~~~ equation to evaluate v,,,, the max-hypoxic-ischemia insults is controversial (1). In adults, an eleimal rate of glucose utilization, and K~ the concentration vated blood glucose concentration during cerebral ischemia is of plasma glucose at which the half maximal rate of detrimental to the recovery of normal brain function and strucutilization occurs. V,,, for the two youngest age groups of ture. A detrimental role for elevated glucose is based on the piglets had significantly different ( p < 0.05) values presumption that there is excessive lactate production during pared with each other (1.38 f 0.17 and 1.92 f 0.64 pmol. hyperglycemic hypoxia-ischemia compared with when glucose is g -~, min-~, respectively) and with the two older groups of not elevated. Support for this comes from studies of juvenile animals (2.99 f 0.52 and 3.42 f 0.65 pmo1.g-' .min-', monkeys (2) and adult rats (3, 4) that were made hyperglycemic respectively). The Km values determined for the two young-before or during ischemia or anoxia and showed increased morphologic brain damage and poorer clinical recovery compared est age piglets. During combined anaerobic glycolysis, with glucose being converted to lactate and hypergl~cemia and severe ischemia, newborns will not be concurrent production of H+ (5, 7). Several clinical studies have levels lactate as as reported that adult stroke patients with elevated blood glucose 2-to 4-wk-old ~iglets. However, despite the differences in have a poorer prognosis than their normoglycemic counterparts glycolytic rates, all four age groups showed similar poten-(8). tials to generate high cerebral lactate concentrations. FurIn contrast, administration of glucose improves the "su...