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Published on: December 28, 2014
Correlation of locomotor activity and brain infarction in rats with transient focal ischemia
1National Institute on Drug Abuse, IPR, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA. hshen@intra.nida.nih.gov
Abstract:
Occlusion of middle cerebral artery (MCAo) is commonly used to generate stroke in experimental animals. Different behavioral assays have been used to evaluate the severity of lesions or recovery after treatment in this model. In this study, we examined the correlation between the size of infarction and locomotor activity after transient MCAo in adult Sprague-Dawley rats. The right middle cerebral artery was occluded for 30-90-min by ligation with a 10-O suture. At 2 days after MCAo, animals were individually placed in a 3-D infrared activity chamber for 1h to measure their horizontal, vertical, stereotypic and rotational activity. Body asymmetry was examined using an elevated body swing test. Volume of infarction was measured by triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining. We found that there is a significant correlation between the volume of infarction and vertical movement, such as vertical activity, vertical movement number and vertical movement time. There is also a significant correlation between the infarction volume and body asymmetry. In conclusion, our data suggest that vertical locomotor activity and body asymmetry are useful behavioral indices to estimate the size of lesioning in rodents after MCAo.
Insights
Researchers found that vertical movement and body asymmetry in rats after middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAo) correlate with infarct size. These behavioral measures can help estimate lesion severity in stroke research.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Animal Models of Stroke
- Behavioral Neuroscience
Background:
- Middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAo) is a standard method for inducing stroke in animal research.
- Assessing behavioral changes is crucial for evaluating stroke severity and treatment efficacy in these models.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the correlation between infarct volume and locomotor activity in rats following transient MCAo.
- To determine if specific behavioral metrics can serve as reliable indicators of lesion size.
Main Methods:
- Transient occlusion of the middle cerebral artery (MCAo) was performed on adult Sprague-Dawley rats for 30-90 minutes.
- Locomotor activity (horizontal, vertical, stereotypic, rotational) was measured using a 3-D infrared activity chamber.
- Infarct volume was quantified using triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining, and body asymmetry was assessed via the elevated body swing test.
Main Results:
- A significant correlation was observed between infarct volume and vertical locomotor activity (including activity, movement number, and time).
- Infarct volume also showed a significant correlation with the degree of body asymmetry.
- Horizontal, stereotypic, and rotational activity did not show significant correlations with infarct size.
Conclusions:
- Vertical locomotor activity and body asymmetry are valuable behavioral indicators for estimating lesion size in rodent models of stroke.
- These findings support the use of specific behavioral assays for a more precise assessment of stroke severity in preclinical research.
