Characterization of long-term functional outcome in a murine model of mild brain ischemia

Evaluation of functional outcome over the course of several weeks after ischemia is a key component in improving the clinical relevance of experimental stroke studies. Using a battery of behavioral tests, we characterized functional outcome in mice over 4 weeks following 30min of proximal middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAo). We evaluated rotarod, chimney, pole and cylinder tests to assess short term functional deficits in a transient stroke model which induces infarcts mainly in the striatum. The corner test, adhesive removal test, cylinder test, catwalk, paw preference test and novel tests of rotation were evaluated for long-term functional outcome. Rotarod detected deficits within the first week and pole test was reliable up to intermediate time points after MCAo. Corner test, adhesive removal test, catwalk and paw preference test detected deficits for up to 4 weeks, as did the novel corner rotation and bowl tests. Chimney and cylinder test did not prove useful in our model of mild stroke. In summary, we established the pole test and rotarod as useful tools to evaluate sensory motor deficits early after mild stroke, and corner test and adhesive removal test at later time-points. Alternatively, corner rotation may be a suitable test of long-term function. Test batteries may be further complemented by catwalk and paw preference test for clinically relevant deficits. There was no correlation of behavioral outcome with lesion size at 28 days, and determining whether these tests are useful for detecting a potential benefit of neuroprotective or regenerative therapies requires further testing.