Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) offers the ability to assess brain function at the bedside of critically ill neonates. Our group previously demonstrated a persistent reduction in the cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen (CMRO 2 ) after hypoxia-ischemia (HI) in newborn piglets. The purpose of this current study was to determine the causes of this reduction by combining NIRS with magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) to measure high-energy metabolites and diffusion-weighted imaging to measure cellular edema. Nine piglets were exposed to 30 min of HI and nine piglets served as controls. Proton and phosphorous MRS spectra, apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps, and CMRO 2 measurements were collected periodically before and for 5.5 h after HI. A significant decrease in CMRO 2 (26 Ϯ 7%) was observed after HI. Incomplete recovery of nucleotide triphosphate concentration (8 Ϯ 3% Ͻcontrols) and reduced ADC (16 Ϯ 5%) suggested mitochondrial dysfunction. However, CMRO 2 did not correlate with any metabolite concentration during the last 3 h of the recovery period, and no significant changes were found in phosphocreatine and lactate levels. Therefore, the CMRO 2 decrease is likely a combination of impaired mitochondrial function and reduced energy demands during the acute phase, which has been previously observed in the mature brain. (Pediatr Res 65: 181-187, 2009) P erinatal hypoxia-ischemia (HI) is a major cause of neurologic injury in newborns, affecting one to six of every 1000 live term births (1). Evidence suggests that a significant proportion of brain injury manifests 1 to 3 d after the hypoxicischemic insult (2). The delay between insult and injury has given rise to the concept that there exists a brief period after HI when it may be possible to minimize tissue damage by interrupting the processes contributing to delayed neuronal death (2). Potential neuroprotective therapies include mild hypothermia, inhibitors of free radical production, and free radical scavengers (3,4). However, the efficacy of such therapies depends, in part, on early detection of the onset of delayed brain injury.Key to understanding the progression of brain injury after HI is the concept of secondary energy failure. Phosphorous magnetic resonance spectroscopy ( 31 P-MRS) studies found that the ratio of phosphocreatine (PCr) to inorganic phosphate (Pi) was normal soon after birth in infants with clinical symptoms of birth asphyxia, but progressively declined over the following days (5). Furthermore, the minimum PCr/Pi during secondary energy failure or, correspondingly, the maximum increase in the lactate (Lac) signal measured by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ( 1 H-MRS) strongly correlated with neurodevelopmental impairment at 1 and 4 years of age (6,7). The occurrence of secondary energy failure observed clinically has been replicated in animal models of perinatal HI, including piglets (8,9) and rat pups (10).The near complete recovery of high-energy phosphates during the early recovery phase observed in animal 31 P-MRS...