Role of potassium channels in the central neurogenic neuroprotection elicited by cerebellar stimulation in rat

Electrical stimulation of the cerebellar fastigial nucleus (FN) in spontane ously hypertensive (SHR), Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) and Fisher rats reduced, by si milar to 50%, the infarctions produced by occlusion of the middle cerebral artery. Blockade of ATP-dependent potassium (K-ATP) channels with glibencli mide (i.c.v.) abolished salvage only in the SHR rat. While blockade of K-AT P channels failed to abolish salvage in WKY and Fisher rats, participation of potassium channels in neurogenic neuroprotection cannot be excluded. (C) 1999 Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.