OBJECTIVETo test the reliability of quantitative neurological tests in evaluating the neurological deficits in rat models of cerebral ischemia.

METHODSForty male SD rats (7 to 9 weeks old) were subjected to transient (1 h) middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) to induce cerebral infarction and 9 received sham operation only. The motor and sensory functions of the rats were measured before and 1, 3, 7 and 14 days after MCAO by accelerating rotarod test and modified adhesive removal test. Fourteen days later, the rats were sacrificed for histological examination, and the lesion size was determined by Winroof image analysis. The neurological deficits of the rats with different lesion sizes and at different time points were analyzed.

RESULTSAccording to the infarct size, the rats after MCAO were divided into two subgroups with large lesions [(68.56+/-12.54)%] affecting both the cortical area and basal ganglia and small lesions [(12.45+/-9.06)%] affecting the basal ganglia. Significant differences in the results of modified adhesive removal test and rotarod test were found between the two groups, and a liner relationship was noted between the lesion size and the results of the neurological tests.

CONCLUSIONThe modified quantitative neurological tests can reliably evaluate the severity of the infarction and estimate the infarct size in rats with cerebral infarction.