title: Regional distribution of selective neuronal loss and microglial activation across the MCA territory after transient focal ischemia: quantitative versus semiquantitative systematic immunohistochemical assessment.
abstract: Histopathologic assessment in transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAo) rodent models generally lacks comprehensiveness and exposes to interobserver bias. Here we compared a novel quantitative assessment of regional infarction, selective neuronal loss (SNL) and microglial activation (MA) across the MCA territory to a previously published semiquantitative visual protocol. NeuN and OX42 immunohistochemistry was applied after either 15 or 45 minutes distal MCAo to maximize SNL and infarction, respectively. Survival times varied from 28 to 60 days to cover potential biases such as delayed tissue shrinkage. Damage was assessed using a template of 44 cytoarchitectonic regions of interest (ROIs) mapped onto a subset of digitized coronal sections spanning the MCA territory. For each ROI were obtained a semiquantitative visually determined index of histopathologic changes (method 1), and lpsilateral/contralesional ratios of remaining neurons and activated microglia cell counts (method 2). There was excellent agreement between the two methods for 28-day survival for both MCAo durations, whereas method 2 more sensitively detected subtle SNL and MA at 45 days and 60 days after 15-minute MCAo. Thus the visual method is accurate for usual degrees of ischemic damage, but absolute cell quantification is superior to detect subtle changes and should therefore be preferred in brief MCAo models, although requires optimal staining quality.
authors.affiliation: 1] Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Stroke Research Group, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK [2] Department of Neurology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Julius V
authors.initials: JV
authors.lastname: Emmrich
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Stroke Research Group, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
authors.forename: Sohail
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ejaz
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
authors.forename: Jonas J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Neher
authors.affiliation: 1] Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Stroke Research Group, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK [2] Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Wolfson Brain Imaging Centre, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
authors.forename: David J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Williamson
authors.affiliation: 1] Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Stroke Research Group, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK [2] INSERM U894, Hôpital Sainte-Anne, Université Paris Descartes/Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Jean-Claude
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Baron
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001931:Brain Mapping; D002452:Cell Count; D016923:Cell Death; D016616:Cryoultramicrotomy; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D020244:Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology*; D002546:Ischemic Attack, Transient / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D017628:Microglia / Q000473:pathology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000473:pathology*; D015588:Observer Variation; D011918:Rats, Inbred SHR