Hemispheric cortical atrophy and chronic microglial activation following mild focal ischemic stroke in adult male rats. Issue 12 (14th October 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Ermine, Charlotte M.; Nithianantharajah, Jess; O'Brien, Katrina; Kauhausen, Jessica A.; Frausin, Stefano; Oman, Alexander; Parsons, Mark W.; Brait, Vanessa H.; Brodtmann, Amy; Thompson, Lachlan H.
• Is Part Of: Journal of neuroscience research. Volume 99:Issue 12(2021)
• Page Start: 3222
• Page End: 3237
• Publication Date: 2021-10-14
• Subjects: brain infarction -- endothelin‐1 -- microglia -- neurodegeneration -- RRID:AB_10711153 -- RRID:AB_2811075 -- RRID:AB_566455 -- RRID:SCR_002798 -- RRID:SCR_017654 -- stroke -- touchscreen; Neurobiology -- Periodicals; 612
• DOI: 10.1002/jnr.24939
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0360-4012

Abstract

Abstract: Animal modeling has played an important role in our understanding of the pathobiology of stroke. The vast majority of this research has focused on the acute phase following severe forms of stroke that result in clear behavioral deficits. Human stroke, however, can vary widely in severity and clinical outcome. There is a rapidly building body of work suggesting that milder ischemic insults can precipitate functional impairment, including cognitive decline, that continues through the chronic phase after injury. Here we show that a small infarction localized to the frontal motor cortex of rats following injection of endothelin‐1 results in an essentially asymptomatic state based on motor and cognitive testing, and yet produces significant histopathological change including remote atrophy and inflammation that persists up to 1 year. While there is understandably a major focus in stroke research on mitigating the acute consequences of primary infarction, these results point to progressive atrophy and chronic inflammation as additional targets for intervention in the chronic phase after injury. The present rodent model provides an important platform for further work in this area. Abstract : Localised injection of ET‐1 to the motor cortex resulted in focal ischemic damage causing neuronal loss. Despite the asymptomatic nature of this model of stroke, lacking motor or cognitive impairment, chronic inflammation and hemispheric atrophy developed over time. These findings highlight that even mild stroke can result in long‐term pathological outcomes.