Brain enzymes and ischemia.

Changes in the maximal rate of some cerebral enzymatic activities related to 400ene transduction and neurotransmission (lactate dehydrogenase; citrate synthase and malate dehydrogenase; total NADH-cytochrome c reductase and cytochrome oxidase; glutamate dehydrogenase; acetylcholine esterase) were assayed both in the crude or purified mitochondrial fraction and in the crude synaptosomal fraction from rat whole brain or cerebral cortex. The evaluations were performed in rats before and after a postdecapitative normothermic ischemia of 5, 10, 20 and 40 min duration. Modification observed in some of these activities wer discussed for comparison with other experimental results from different researchers. At present no definite conclusions can be drawn, but certainly the observed modifications in activity of enzymes are not passive but expression of deranged metabolism of ischemic neurons.