Modification of cerebral ischemic damage by anesthetics.

The yield of infarcted hemispheres following unilateral carotid ligation in gerbils under ketamine anesthesia substantially exceeded that occurring under pentobarbital anesthesia. In addition to increasing the gerbil stroke model's efficiency, ketamine provided a shorter recovery period, thus allowing earlier observation of clinical signs of brain injury. These results support the contention that anesthetic agents may modify the response of central neuronal tissues to acute ischemia.