title: A test for detecting long-term sensorimotor dysfunction in the mouse after focal cerebral ischemia.
abstract: The mouse is an excellent model for investigations of stroke and neural injury. However, there is a paucity of long term functional outcome measurements for the mouse. We, therefore, developed a sensorimotor functional test (corner test) and applied this test to a model of focal cerebral ischemia in the mouse. Male C57/6J mice (n=20) were subjected to embolic middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion. Reduction of cerebral blood flow (CBF) was measured by perfusion weighted MRI at 1 h after ischemia. The corner test, which is sensitive to chronic sensorimotor and postural symmetries, a general neurological test battery, and a foot fault test were performed between 2 and 90 days after ischemia. Infarct volume was measured at 90 days after ischemia. Multivariable analysis revealed that the corner test was highly predictive for infarct volume measured at 90 days after stroke, with R(2) values ranging from 0.73 to 0.93. The foot-fault test and neurological score did not detect chronic behavioral impairments. A significant (P<0.001) correlation between the infarct volume and the corner test was detected at 90 days after mild focal cerebral ischemia, whereas, there was no correlation between the infarct volume and neurological score or foot-fault. The data demonstrate that the corner test is a sensitive and objective test, which can be applied to evaluate long term functional outcome after stroke in the mouse.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Henry Ford Hospital, 2799 West Grand Boulevard, Detroit, MI 48202, USA.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Timothy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Schallert
authors.forename: Zheng Gang
authors.initials: ZG
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Quan
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Polly
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Arniego
authors.forename: Qingjiang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Mei
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chopp
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D020244:Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D008124:Locomotion; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009044:Motor Cortex / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009460:Neurologic Examination / Q000379:methods*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D020127:Recovery of Function; D013003:Somatosensory Cortex / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*