We have reported a quantitative double tracer autoradiographic technique for the simultaneous measurement of local cerebral blood flow (LCBF) and local cerebral glucose utilization (LCGU) using 14C-IAP and 18F-FDG respectively. Six awake normal rats and 3 left middle cerebral artery (MCA) occluded rats were used for this experiments. A 50-hold greater radioactivity of 18F was administered and the first exposure was done for 2 hours to obtain a 18F image. Three days later (39 half-lives of 18F), a second exposure was done for 5 to 6 days to obtain the 14C image. Tissue concentration of 14C was measured relative to the commercially available 14C-methyl methacrylate standards. 18F standards were prepared in each experiment. Cross contamination of 14C in the first exposure was less than 2% in the normal state and less than 4% even in the uncoupling condition. The values obtained by this methods for LCBF and LCGU agreed closely with those obtained by a single tracer technique previously reported in the literature. The technique outlined in this paper also provided local glucose utilization flow ratio (LGFR) for the first time. LGFR was obtained by dividing the LCGU image by LCBF image and was expressed as percent mumol/ml. The mean LGFR of control rats was 76 +/- 8% mumol/ml. In a MCA occlusion group, LGFR of ischemic cortex increased until 2 to 3 times higher than that of contralateral non-ischemic cortex. Oxygen glucose index image which was obtained from the LCGU and A-V differences of O2 showed that approximately half of the glucose was metabolized anerobically.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)