The energy metabolism of the brain has been measured in a middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion model in the cat utilizing 31P-nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). 31P-NMR spectra were serially obtained during 2 h of ischemia and a subsequent 4-h recovery period. The ratio of creatine phosphate (PCr) to inorganic phosphate (Pi) (PCr/Pi) showed a precipitous decrease in parallel with changes in electroencephalographic (EEG) amplitude in severe strokes during ischemia as well as during recirculation. Animals with mild strokes, as determined by EEG criteria, exhibited a much smaller decrease in PCr/Pi during ischemia. In the severe strokes, there was a splitting and significant shift of the Pi peak immediately after occlusion. In addition, the shifted Pi peak rapidly increased and remained elevated throughout the study. In the mild strokes, Pi also increased, but not as markedly. Intracellular pH determination by chemical shift of the Pi peak revealed a decrease from 7.1 to 6.2-6.3 during ischemia and the subsequent recovery period in the animals with severe strokes, whereas the pH in the animals with mild strokes did not show a significant change. A gradual decrease in adenosine triphosphate (ATP) to 57-79% of the control was exhibited in severely stroked animals during both the ischemia and the recovery period, whereas there was no change in ATP in the mild stroked animals. These results suggest that the dynamic process of pathophysiological changes in an MCA occlusion model in the cat leads to significant differences in cerebral metabolism between animals with mild and severe strokes.