Carotid ligation in gerbils. Influence of age, sex, and gonads

The ill effects of carotid artery occlusion or ligation vary in man and experimental animals according to surgical techniques, environmental conditions, diet, stress, sex, age, strain of the animal, blood pressure, the state of cardiopulmonary system, and other diverse factors. Unilateral carotid artery ligation in most small laboratory animals is an innocuous procedure. The gerbil, a desert rat, has been found to be quite sensitive to unilateral carotid artery ligation. The present experiments were designed to study the influence of age, sex, and castration on end results of the unilateral carotid artery ligation in gerbils. It appears that the young animals prior to sexual maturity and the sexually mature female are more resistant than the sexually mature male. This difference is assumed to be due to the influence of the gonads on the blood flow of the brain.