The AMPA antagonist NBQX provides partial protection of rat cerebellar Purkinje cells after cardiac arrest and resuscitation.

Purkinje cell loss in adult rats resuscitated following cardiac arrest is analogous to that seen following human cardiac arrest. Administration of the competitive AMPA antagonist NBQX to rats resuscitated after 10 min duration cardiac arrest rescued 21.5% of the vulnerable Purkinje cell population. These results support the hypothesis that sustained postischemic overexcitation of AMPA receptors may be a driving force in the process of Purkinje cell degeneration.