title: Behavioural assessment of endothelin-1 induced middle cerebral artery occlusion in the rat.
abstract: The behavioural effects of unilateral middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) induced by perivascular injection of endothelin, and a unilateral excitotoxic lesion of the striatum, were explored using the staircase test of skilled paw-reaching in the rat. A profound bilateral impairment in pellet recovery, with a concomitant increase in pellet displacement, was observed in the MCAO group. By contrast the striatal lesion group exhibited a primarily contralateral impairment. The findings provide both further insight into the control of unilateral motor function and a reliable behavioural endpoint for the assessment of experimental stroke.
authors.affiliation: Fujisawa Institute of Neuroscience, Department of Pharmacology, University of Edinburgh, UK.
authors.forename: H M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Marston
authors.forename: E S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Faber
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Crawford
authors.forename: S P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Butcher
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sharkey
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001157:Arterial Occlusive Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000473:pathology / Q000523:psychology*; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000523:psychology; D002421:Caudate Nucleus / Q000473:pathology; D002536:Cerebral Arteries; D016232:Endothelins; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D017072:Neostriatum / Q000473:pathology; D017378:Quinolinic Acid; D051381:Rats
chemical_list: D016232:Endothelins; D017378:Quinolinic Acid