An aged rodent model of stroke recovery: examining the role of the medial prefrontal cortex
Year: 2018
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Covert and recurrent strokes increase during aging, emphasizing the importance of using aged rodent models of recurrent stroke. In experiment 1, 25 young and 16 middle-aged Sprague Dawley rats underwent medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) or sham ischemia. There was no overt motor effect of mPFC ischemia, making it a valid model of covert stroke. Notably, middle-aged rats showed decreased overall performance in the staircase reaching test, relative to younger rats. In experiment 2, 34 young and 33 middle-aged rats underwent middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAo) +/- mPFC ischemia. Unlike experiment 1, there was no effect of age on baseline performance. The middle-aged group, however, had less motor impairments and significantly smaller striatal infarcts, suggesting the MCAo strokes were suboptimal. These results highligh important age-related differences in post-stroke performance. Behavioural outcome measures, motivation level and the ischemic model must be carefully considered in developing older animal models of stroke.
Author: Meighan H. Kelly
Language: English
Subfield: Rehabilitation
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2807972540