Cerebral oedema following intracerebral haemorrhage: the effect of the NMDA receptor antagonists MK-801 and D-CPPene.

The effects of pre-treatment with the NMDA receptor antagonists MK-801 and D-CPPene on the development of brain oedema were investigated in a rodent model of intracerebral haemorrhage. In acute experiments (4 hour survival) both drugs caused significant hypotension and had significant anaesthetic effects whilst conferring no protection against oedema formation. In chronic experiments (24 hour survival) MK-801 conferred no protection against brain oedema. With D-CPPene marginal protection against cortical oedema may have been conferred but this result should be interpreted with caution.