Preischemic hyperglycemia induced by feeding or glucose infusion worsens the brain damage and the clinical outcome following ischemia of a given duration and density, and characteristically causes postischemic seizure activity. Light microscopy has previously showed that, in the rat, transient hyperglycemia ischemia induced by bilateral carotid occlusion in combination with arterial hypotension causes a uni- or bilateral lesion in the pars reticulata of the substantia nigra. Since this region has a central role in preventing seizure discharges the present study was carried out to determine the ultrastructural characteristics of this lesion. In rats with 10 min of transient hyperglycemic ischemia followed by recirculation for 1 to 18 h, the pars reticulata of the substantia nigra showed signs of status spongiosus, as well as extensive nerve cell alterations. These changes were observed after all recovery periods studied. The spongiotic appearance was mainly caused by swelling of dendrites and, to a lesser degree, by astrocytic swelling. The dendrites were expanded at all recovery times but the severity increased during the later periods of recirculation. These swollen dendrites contained severely expanded mitochondrias and endoplasmic reticulum. The cytoskeletal elements showed disordered lining of microtubules. Two major types of nerve cell alterations were present: a "pale" and a "dark" variety. The pale type was the most frequent cell alteration. It occurred in all experimental groups and at all time points. Redistribution of the nuclear chromatin and of cytoplasmic organelles as well as swelling of the same type as in the dendrites were the essential changes.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)