Local as well as remote functional and metabolic changes after focal ischemia in cats

Behavior and limb placing ability were analyzed acutely and subacutely (up to 21 days) following unilateral occlusion of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) in cats. Immediately following occlusion, all tested cats started to display a sequence of different behaviors, characteristic for 1) an ipsilateral inhibition of dopaminergic activity in the caudate nucleus (CN); 2) an inhibition of GABAergic activity in the reticular substantia nigra (SNR); 3) a stimulation of GABA receptors in the deeper layers of the colliculus superior (CSDL) (starting-time of these phases: about 4, 12 and 25 min, respectively). The latter behavior was also present subacutely. In addition, unilateral orofacial dyskinetic movements were observed acutely as well as subacutely. Contralateral limb placing was deficient in all cats 60 min postocclusion; it was at least partly restored subacutely. Twenty-one days after the occlusion, [14C]-2-D-deoxyglucose uptake was relatively reduced in the ipsilateral CN (especially in its posterior part), the ipsilateral SNR and the ipsilateral CSDL. The anterior CN appeared to be less affected than the posterior CN. Metabolism was relatively reduced in the sensorimotor cortex only in part of the tested cats. The data show that unilateral MCA occlusion produces consistent functional changes in all structures studied apart from the sensorimotor cortex, viz. the CN, the SNR and the CSDL.