Short- and long-term behavioral effects of exposure to 21%, 40% and 100% oxygen after perinatal hypoxia-ischemia in the rat.

Until recently, supplementation with 100% oxygen was standard therapy for newborns who required resuscitation at birth or suffered later hypoxic-ischemic events. Exposure to high concentrations of oxygen, however, may worsen oxidative stress induced by ischemic injury. In this study we investigated the short- and long-term behavioral outcomes in rats that had undergone hypoxic-ischemic brain injury on postnatal day 7, followed by 2h exposure to 21%, 40%, or 100% oxygen, compared to normal controls.