Neuron-enriched cultures from embryonic rat cerebral cortex were exposed to hypoxia and hypoglycemia, and the resulting cellular injury was quantified by measuring lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release, which was maximal after 20-24 h. The increase in LDH release produced by hypoxia/hypoglycemia was prevented by N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) antagonists, but not by three classes of drugs thought to modulate glutamate release: Ca2+ channel antagonists (nimodipine, omega-conotoxin GVIA, omega-agatoxin-IVA), K-ATP channel activators (cromakalim, diazoxide), and glutamate transport inhibitors (dihydrokainate, DL-threo-beta-hydroxyaspartate).