Metabolic and transmitter changes in core and penumbra after middle cerebral artery occlusion in mice

Middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) is a popular model in experimental stroke research and causes prominent ischemic damage in the forebrain. To characterize metabolic changes induced by MCAO, we have induced permanent MCAO in mice that were implanted with a microdialysis probe in either striatum or hippocampus. Immediately after the onset of ischemia, glucose levels dropped to <10% of basal values in the striatum while they dropped to 50%, and recovered thereafter, in hippocampus. Extracellular levels of glutamate rose 80-fold in the striatum but only 10-fold, and in a transient fashion, in hippocampus. In striatum, release of acetylcholine briefly increased, then dropped to very low values. Both glycerol and choline levels increased strongly during ischemia in the striatum reflecting membrane breakdown. In hippocampus, glycerol increased transiently while the increase of choline levels was moderate. Taken together, these observations delineate metabolic changes in ischemic mouse brain with the striatum representing the core area of ischemia. In comparison, the dorsal hippocampus was identified as a brain area suitable for monitoring metabolic responses in the penumbra region.