title: Evaluation of neurobehavioral deficits following different severities of cerebral ischemia in rats: a comparison between the modified hole board test and the Morris water maze test.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  While histological injury following cerebral ischemia has been extensively characterized in rodents, evidence on the effects on executive functioning is still missing. This study was designed to evaluate neuropsychological outcome following different severities of cerebral ischemia in rats with the modified hole board test or the Morris water maze.
  
  
  METHODS
  With institutional review board approval, anesthetized rats were exposed to bilateral carotid artery occlusion (BCAO) for escalating time intervals (0-12.5 min). Postoperatively cognitive performance was assessed using either the modified hole board test (mHB) or the Morris water maze (MWM). On postoperative day 14 rats were euthanized and intact neurons in five cerebral regions were counted.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Rats of the 0 and 5 min groups showed normal functional outcome with mild histological damage after 5 min of BCAO. Following 7.5 min of BCAO the mHB test showed cognitive deficits reflecting histological damage of the hippocampus while the MWM revealed normal functional outcome. Rats of the 10 and 12.5 min groups showed cognitive deficits in both tests, motor dysfunction and behavioral alterations in the mHB test and profound histological damage.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results indicate that the mHB is not inferior to the MWM for the evaluation of cognitive impairment following incomplete forebrain ischemia in rats. As the mHB additionally investigates a variety of behavioral dimensions and motor parameters in the same test environment, it is advantageous for the evaluation of interacting and potentially confounding behavioral changes following cerebral ischemia in rats.
authors: Department of Anaesthesiology, Technische Universität München, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Ismaninger Str. 22, 81675 Munich, Germany.
authors: Maria Lucia
authors: ML
authors: Gordan
authors: Bettina
authors: B
authors: Jungwirth
authors: Frauke
authors: F
authors: Ohl
authors: Kristine
authors: K
authors: Kellermann
authors: Eberhard F
authors: EF
authors: Kochs
authors: Manfred
authors: M
authors: Blobner
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D062186:Arterial Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005106:Exploratory Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology; D053580:Muscle Strength / Q000502:physiology; D009410:Nerve Degeneration / Q000473:pathology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose