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* These authors contributed equally
Here we present a protocol to induce post-stroke depression in rats by occluding the middle cerebral artery via the internal carotid artery. We use the Porsolt forced swim test and the sucrose preference test to confirm and evaluate induced depressive moods.
Post-stroke depression (PSD) is the most recurrent of all psychiatric complications resulting from an ischemic stroke. A greater majority (about 60%) of all ischemic stroke patients suffer from PSD, a disorder considered to be an ischemic stroke-related precursor for increased death and degradation in health. The pathophysiology of PSD is still obscure. To study the mechanism of development and occurrence of PSD further, and to find out a therapy, we attempted to develop a new protocol that requires occluding the middle cerebral artery (MCA) via the internal carotid artery (ICA) in rats. This protocol describes a model of PSD induced in rats through the middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). Also used in the experiment are the Porsolt forced swim test and the sucrose preference test to confirm and evaluate the depressive mood of the rats under investigation. Rather than inserting the catheter through the external carotid artery (ECA), as stipulated for the original procedure, this MCAO technique has the monofilament passing directly through the ICA. This MCAO technique was developed a few years ago and leads to a reduction in mortality and variability. It is generally accepted that the criteria used are preferred in the selection of biological models. The data obtained with this protocol show that this model of MCAO could be a way of inducing PSD in rats and could potentially lead to the understanding of the pathophysiology and the future development of new drugs and other neuroprotective agents.
Stroke is fourth on the list of death-perpetrating diseases in the United States1,2,3, while it causes the majority of disabilities in adults in developed countries4; this makes stroke a leading contender among the world's most significant health issues. Normalcy in stroke-surviving patients is rare, with about 15%-40% of survival victims suffering permanent disability, 20% requiring institutional care 3 months after stroke onset5, and about a third of 6-month survivals needing others to help them live through each day
The Animal Care Committee of the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel approved all treatment and testing procedures used in this protocol.
1. Preparation of Rats for the Experimental Procedure
NOTE: Select adult male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 300-350 g.
Histological findings (Table 1) revealed a statistically significant infarct volume as a percentage of total brain (p < 0.0001) post-MCAO when compared to animals in the sham-control group. Also reported was a statistically significant brain edema when the evaluation from the experimental group (p < 0.0003) was put side by side with that of the sham-control group.
The NSS scores obtaine.......
One of the ways in which the MCAO technique presented here could be deemed safer than the original MCAO model is illustrated by the fact that the ECA and its branches, including the occipital artery, the terminal lingual, and the maxillary artery, are not compromised when occluding the MCA via the ICA. The original MCAO model's offset of the ECA (and its branches), by distally dissecting and coagulating them46, causes impaired mastication, owing to a compromise to the vascular supply to mastic.......
We thank Professor Olena Severynovska of the Department of Physiology, Faculty of Biology, Ecology, and Medicine, Oles Honchar Dnipro University, Dnipro, Ukraine for her support and helpful contributions to our discussions. The data obtained are part of R.K.’s PhD thesis.
....Name | Company | Catalog Number | Comments |
Absorbent pad | - | - | - |
Black lusterless perspex box | - | - | (120 cm × 60 cm × 60 cm), divided into a 25% central zone and the surrounding border zone |
Bottles | Techniplast | ACBT0262SU | 150 ml bottles filled with 100 ml of water and 100 ml 1%(w/v) sucrose solution |
Electric Shock | Heat System Ultasonic Inc. | - | - |
Horizon-XL | Mennen Medical Ltd | ||
Imaging System | Kodak | - | For imaging and quantification |
Monofilament | - | - | - |
Paper towels | Pharmacy | - | Dry towels used for keeping rats dry after immersing them in water |
Pexiglass cylinder | - | - | a 100 cm tall and 40 cm in diameter cylinder used for carrying out the forced swim test |
Purina Chow | Purina | 5001 | Rodent laboratory chow given to rats, mice and hamster is a life-cycle nutrition that has been used in biomedical researc for over 5 decades. Provided to rats ad libitum in this experiment |
Rat Cages | Techniplast | 2000P | Conventional housing for rodents. Was used for housing rats throughout the experiment |
Scanner | Canon CanoScan | 4200F | - |
Video Camera | ETHO-VISION (Noldus) | - | Digital video camera for high definition recording of rat behavior under open field test |
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