title: Muscle hypertonia after permanent focal cerebral ischemia in rats: a qualitative and quantitative behavioral and electrophysiological study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the level of peripheral muscle resistance after cerebral ischemia.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 326 healthy male Sprague-Dawley rats were used in the present experiments. We used a modified method to establish peripheral muscle resistance in rat model of stroke, and qualified the recovery of motor functional deficits by behavioral measures and quantified the level of peripheral muscle resistance by electrophysiological test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Neurological score started to go up from day 0, achieved its peak on day 3 (1.49 ± 0.56) and kept at a high level within 10 days after surgery. Compared with 1 day before surgery, both the turn score in corner test and asymmetry score in cylinder test were increased significantly on day 3, day 6 and day 9 after surgery (p < 0.01). On day 6 and day 9 after surgery, the Hmax:Mmax ratio of hemiplegic side of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) rats was obviously higher than the same side in healthy rat (p < 0.01) and the ratio on the contralateral side of MCAO rats (p < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is a progressive increase in peripheral muscle resistance on day 6 to day 9 after surgery in a rat model of postischemic stroke.
authors.affiliation: Acupuncture and Moxibustion Department, Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated to Capital Medical University, Dongcheng District, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Guang-Xia
authors.initials: GX
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: Chun-Yan
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Meng-Meng
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Li-Ping
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Guan
authors.forename: Lin-Peng
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Cun-Zhi
authors.initials: CZ
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D004594:Electrophysiology; D006181:H-Reflex / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D009048:Motor Skills / Q000502:physiology*; D009122:Muscle Hypertonia / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000502:physiology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013997:Time Factors