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Bilateral ischaemic lesions of the medial prefrontal cortex are anxiogenic in the rat

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 December 2017

Robert A. Déziel  and
R. Andrew Tasker
Robert A. Déziel
Affiliation:
Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Prince Edward Island, Canada
R. Andrew Tasker*
Affiliation:
Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Prince Edward Island, Canada Translational Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Denmark
*
R. Andrew Tasker, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Prince Edward Island, 550 University Avenue, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada C1A 4P3. Tel: +1-902-566-0662; Fax: +1-902-566-0832; E-mail: tasker@upei.ca
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Abstract

Objective

Stroke patients often suffer from delayed disturbances of mood and cognition. In rodents, the prefrontal cortex (PFC) is involved in both higher order cognition and emotion. Our objective was to determine if bilateral focal ischaemic lesions restricted to the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) could be used to model post-stroke anxiety and/or cognitive deficits.

Methods

Groups of adult male Sprague-Dawley rats (n=9) received bilateral injections of either endothelin-1 (ET-1) (400 pmol) or vehicle (artificial cerebrospinal fluid) into the mPFC and were tested at various times using both a test of temporal order memory and in an elevated plus maze. Lesions were verified histologically.

Results

ET-1 lesioned rats had reduced mobility on post-surgery day 8 that had resolved by day 29 at which time they spent significantly more time in the closed arm of the plus maze

Conclusion

We conclude that ischaemic lesions localised to the mPFC can be used to model post-stroke anxiety in rats.

Keywords

anxietycognitionprefrontal cortexstroke
Type
Short Communication
Information
Acta Neuropsychiatrica , Volume 30 , Issue 3 , June 2018 , pp. 181 - 186
Copyright
© Scandinavian College of Neuropsychopharmacology 2017 

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