Effects of indeloxazine hydrochloride [(+/-)-2-[(inden-7-yloxy)methyl]morpholine hydrochloride, YM-08054] on cerebral ischemia were investigated in animals. Indeloxazine prolonged the gasping duration dose-dependently in decapitated mice. Bilateral occlusion of the carotid artery for 5 min shortened the latency of step-through in passive avoidance task 4 days following ischemia in mongolian gerbils. The i.p. administration of indeloxazine was started just after the surgical operation and repeated twice a day for 4 days. Indeloxazine (2 mg/kg) significantly prolonged the latency of step-through in this amnesic model, indicating a reversal effect on the ischemia-induced amnesia. In biochemical studies, decreases in brain ATP and total adenine nucleotide levels were inhibited by indeloxazine (2 mg/kg i.p., once a day for 7 days) in four-vessel occluded rats. These findings indicate that indeloxazine possesses protective effects on cerebral ischemia presumably due, in part, to improvement of the cerebral energy metabolism.