An experimental model of cerebral microischemia in rabbits

Multiinfarct dementia is the second most common form of dementia in the elderly. An animal model of microischemia may provide information about the pathophysiology relevant when searching for prevention or treatment of microinfarctions in humans. The purpose of the present study was to develop an experimental model useful for studying discrete microischemic foci. In order to achieve single cerebral microischemic foci plastic beads with diameters of about 100 microns were injected into the left heart ventricle of anesthetized rabbits. 2-Deoxy-[14C]glucose (2-DG) and autoradiography were used to detect regions with disturbed metabolism. The tissue sections were inspected for impacted beads. Foci with markedly increased 2-DG accumulation and with diameters of about 1 mm were detected in all parts of the brain, indicating hypoxic regions with enhanced glycolysis. In some foci, located mainly in the basal ganglia, a central dip in the 2-DG profile was seen, suggesting poor glucose supply to the central ischemic region. The ratio foci/beads was about 1 in the brain stem (diencephalon included) and about 0.5 in the cortex. Twenty-four hours after embolization, infarctions, mainly in the deeper brain regions, were seen. There were still foci with increased 2-DG uptake, which were mainly located in the cortex. The results suggest that microemboli reaching the deeper brain regions give rise to metabolic disturbances more often than emboli reaching the cortex and that the ischemic foci in deeper brain regions are more prone to develop further into infarctions.