Predictive value of a battery of behavioural tests to determine the extentof induced cerebral ischemia by cauterisation of the middle cerebral artery

A model of cerebral ischemia by cauterisation of the middle cerebral artery was reproduced in Sprague-Dawley rats. Pre- and 24h post-surgical neurolog ical evaluations using a battery of motor and sensory behavioural tests wer e compared to correlate behaviour changes and the size of the cerebral isch emia. Motor and sensorimotor evaluations have a positive correlation of 0.6 6 with the size of cerebral ischemia (P< 0.02). Meanwhile, sensory evaluati on only have no predictive value of the extent of cerebral damage (r = 0.18 , p = n.s). These results are in acoord with previous published findings wh en using a battery of sensory and motor tests. However, our results show th at motor tests only are sufficient to predict and evaluate the size of cere bral ischemia following the cauterization of the MCA.