Objective To investigate glucose metabolic alterations in cerebral cortical subareas using F-18-labeled glucose derivative fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) micro-positron emission tomography (PET) scanning in a rat renal ischemia/reperfusion (RIR) model. Methods Small-animal PET imaging in vivo was performed with F-18-labeled FDG as a PET tracer to identify glucose metabolic alterations in cerebral cortical subregions using a rat model of RIR. Results We found that the average standardized uptake value (SUVaverage) of the cerebral cortical subareas in the RIR group was significantly increased compared to the sham group (P<0.05). We also found that glucose uptake in different cortical subregions including the left auditory cortex, right medial prefrontal cortex, right para cortex, left retrosplenial cortex, right retrosplenial cortex, and right visual cortex was significantly increased in the RIR group (P<0.05), but there was no significant difference in the SUVaverage of right auditory cortex, left medial prefrontal cortex, left para cortex, and left visual cortex between the two groups. Conclusion The F-18-FDG PET data suggests that RIR causes a profound shift in the metabolic machinery of cerebral cortex subregions.