Abstract:

BACKGROUND: Bederson’s scale scores cannot provide reliable evidence for subcortical infarction in establishing a rat model of cerebral ischemia by middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO).
OBJECTIVE: To compare the body weights and Bederson scale scores at different time points in rats with two different types of cerebral ischemia.
METHODS: Forty-eight male SD rats aged 7-9 weeks were included in this study. A nylon filament was inserted into the middle cerebral artery to induce a 100-minute occlusion referring to Zea Longa’s method. Then, MCAO rats were divided to three groups according to different MRI manifestations: subcortical infarction group (SIG, n=13), cortical infarction group (CIG, n=25), no infarction group (NIG, n=10). Body weights and Bederson’s scale scores were monitored in all rats within 7 weeks after MCAO.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: There was no significant difference in body weights between SIG and NIG at each time point   (P > 0.05). Body weights of rats in the CIG were significantly lower than those in the SIG within 2 weeks after MCAO (P < 0.05) and were significantly lower than those in the NIG at 3 weeks after MCAO (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in Bederson’s scale score between SIG and CIG (P > 0.05), but the Bederson’s scale score in these two groups was significantly higher than that in the NIG (P < 0.05) within 1 day after MCAO. Results suggest that different types of cerebral ischemia in rats can be distinguished by combining relative body weights and Bederson’s scale score within 1 day after MCAO.