In order to study the changes of nitric oxide (NO) in gastric wall in hypoxic neonatal rats, the activity of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) of gastric wall was measured and the NADPH-diaphorase biochemistry test was taken to show the distribution of NOS in the gastric wall of neonatal rats. The results showed that compared with normal rats, NOS had no significant changes in the acute hypoxic rats (P>0.05). However, in hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) neonatal rats, the activity of NOS was markedly increased (P<0.01), and the NOS positive reactive products were markedly increased in the gastric muscle, but no changes in the mucosal and submucosal layers were observed. The results suggest that the decreased gastric motivation and the gastric mucosal lesions caused by asphyxia are associated with the changes of NO in gastric wall.