Increases in extracellular fluid glucose levels in the rat hippocampus following an anesthetic dose of pentobarbital or ketamine-xylazine: an in vivo microdialysis study

Using in vivo microdialysis, we examined glucose levels in the extracellular fluid (ECF) of the hippocampus and in the blood prior to and during pentobarbital (45 mg/kg) or ketamine-xylazine (66 mg/kg, 7 mg/kg) anesthesia. Anesthesia with either pentobarbital or ketamine-xylazine significantly increased hippocampal ECF glucose levels (mean peak increases of +71% and +85%, respectively). In addition, there were substantial increases in blood glucose levels (mean peak increases of +24% and +30%, respectively). The increased levels of hippocampal ECF glucose during anesthesia complement past evidence for decreases in ECF glucose in the hippocampus observed while rats perform a memory task sensitive to hippocampal damage, providing further support for the view that ECF glucose levels in the hippocampus are dynamically coupled to local neural activity.