Thromboembolic Model of Cerebral Ischemia and Reperfusion in Mice

Ischemic stroke is the fourth leading cause of death in the USA and a prominent cause of death globally. Besides thrombolytic therapy used in a small subset of patients, no alternative therapeutic strategy has been shown to improve the outcome of stroke patients. Preclinical models of ischemic stroke are an essential tool for investigating pathogenic processes that happen after the ischemic insult, as well as to screen for candidate therapeutic interventions. There are several models of rodent ischemic stroke including mechanical occlusion, thromboembolic stroke, and photothrombotic stroke. However, models that permit studying stroke in the context of thrombolytic therapy, such as thromboembolic models, are becoming of increasing interest to the research community. In this chapter, we describe a thromboembolic model of ischemic stroke with and without tissue-plasminogen activator-induced reperfusion. We describe protocols for microemboli preparation, surgical procedure, and post-stroke assessment of animals.