The influence of systemic blood pressure on blood-brain barrier leakage and hemorrhage in brain ischemia was evaluated in Sprague-Dawley rats with blood pressures at the lower and upper limit normally found in these animals when anesthetized on 70% N2O:30% O2. 24 h after unilateral cerebral microembolization - when significant increases in water content and barrier permeability and decrease in blood flow is present - the extravasation of Evans Blue-albumin and inulin as well as hemorrhage in the infarcted brain area was considerably more prominent in animals with the higher blood pressure. The findings imply that attempts to elevate pressure, as well as subacute surgical circulatory reconstruction to increase perfusion of an ischemic area, may be potentially harmful.