title: Regional cerebral blood flow and stroke index after left carotid artery ligation in the conscious gerbil.
abstract: We measured the regional cerebral blood flow in both hemispheres of Mongolian gerbils subjected to permanent left carotid artery ligation, using [3H]nicotine as the tracer. At 1, 3 and 6 h post-ligation, neurological signs were recorded and a stroke index score was tallied for each animal. In conscious control gerbils, mean cerebral blood flow on the left side was 1.10 +/- 0.08 (S.E.M.) ml X g-1 X min-1 at the cerebral cortex, 0.58 +/- 0.02 at the hippocampus and 0.69 +/- 0.04 at the diencephalon. Animals with a stroke index score exceeding 10 were considered symptomatic. We noted a close relationship between regional cerebral blood flow and the stroke index score. In symptomatic animals, regional cerebral blood flow in the ischemic hemisphere at 1, 3 and 6 h post-ligation was less than 0.21 ml X g-1 X min-1 at the cortex and diencephalon, and less than 0.09 ml X g-1 X min-1 at the hippocampus. We suggest that unilaterally ligated gerbils manifesting a stroke index score greater than 10 represent a good experimental model for the study of ischemia.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002545:Brain Ischemia; D002339:Carotid Arteries; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005849:Gerbillinae; D008026:Ligation; D013997:Time Factors