Regional cerebral ischemia by occlusion of the posterior communicating artery and the middle cerebral artery in gerbils.

The authors have created an experimental model of regional cerebral ischemia in gerbils that is reproducible and has a low mortality rate. In gerbils, either the posterior communicating artery (PCoA) or the middle cerebral artery (MCA) was occluded, and the distribution of cerebral ischemia from each surgical procedure was compared with that produced by occlusion of the common carotid artery (CCA). In contrast to the widespread cortical and subcortical infarctions seen after occlusion of the CCA, occlusion of the PCoA caused infarction that was restricted to the hippocampus, the piriform cortex, and the posterior part of the thalamus, and occlusion of the MCA resulted in infarction that was restricted to the central part of the cerebral hemisphere and the caudate nucleus and putamen. Intracranial occlusion of the PCoA or MCA in the gerbil resulted in lesions that were reproducible with low mortality rates over a long-term period. Occlusion of the PCoA, MCA, or CCA also produces a model that is suitable for investigation of the postischemic period. A combination of these three experimental models is useful for investigation of regional vulnerability and for the study of regional metabolic differences in cerebral ischemia.