REVERSIBLE MIDDLE CEREBRAL-ARTERY OCCLUSION IN RATS USING AN INTRALUMINAL THREAD TECHNIQUE

We investigated the temporal profile for neuropathologic outcomes afte r cerebral ischemia using a rat model of reversible middle cerebral ar tery occlusion, where reperfusion can be introduced in nonanesthetized rats. Reperfusion was performed 1 hour to 5 hours after the occlusion . Control animals underwent permanent occlusion. The results indicate that the time window to reduce infarct volume is 2 hours, and that a g reater-than-or-equal-to 3-hour duration of ischemia is sufficient to a ttain the maximal infarction observed after permanent ischemia. This s uggests that any therapies that follow the therapeutic window will pro vide little benefit for transient cerebral ischemia and reperfusion in jury.