Translational realistic expectations of chronic cerebral hypoxemia in rat model after bilateral commom carotid artery ligation. Neurocognitive aspects.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the effects of chronic cerebral hypoxia on memory of rats submitted to bilateral common carotid artery ligation (BCCL).


METHODS
Every each week, for 16 weeks, 31 rats were tested for memory using a water and land mazes and compared with 30 normal rats (control group A). The variables were expressed by their mean and standard error of the mean (SEM). p<0.05 was used for rejecting the null hypothesis. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee for animal investigation.


RESULTS
There was a significant increase in the latency time, in the survival water and land mazes, after four weeks (study group B) follow-up. However, without any medication or therapeutically induced measures, after 16 weeks (study group C) follow-up the latency mean times tend to be similar to control group (A) in the neurocognitive tests.


CONCLUSIONS
Neurocognitive deficits after 16 weeks post-operative follow-up of rats that underwent bilateral common carotid artery ligation is a natural adaptive phenomenon. Thus, is not realistic to allow translational information from this animal model for therapeutically approaches aiming at to prevent, or to improve brain damage in human beings suffering from chronic deprivation of adequate blood supply.
Campina Grande Faculty of Medicine, Department of Ophthalmology, Campina GrandePB, Brazil.
Maria Cecília Santos Cavalcanti
MC
Melo
FCM, Department of Ophthalmology, Campina GrandePB, Brazil.
Diego
D
Gadelha
FCM, Department of Cardiology, Campina GrandePB, Brazil.
Guilherme Veras
GV
Mascena
Federal University of Campina Grande, Department of Cardiology, Campina GrandePB, Brazil.
Thárcia Kiara Beserra
TK
Oliveira
UFPE, RecifePE, Brazil.
Carlos Teixeira
CT
Brandt
D000818:Animals; D001925:Brain Damage, Chronic / Q000601:surgery*; D017536:Carotid Artery, Common / Q000601:surgery*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D020925:Hypoxia-Ischemia, Brain / Q000601:surgery*; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D008026:Ligation; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar