Establishment and Evaluation of Post-stroke Depression Rat Model

Abstract

Objective To establish the rat model of post-stroke depression (PSD). Methods The focal cerebral ischemia model was set up by blocking the middle cerebral artery (MCA). Then the model rats were separately raised and put into chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) to induce the PSD model and some of them were intervened by ? uoxertine. The rats were divided into control, stroke, depression, post-stroke depression and PSD treated with ? uoxertine groups and all of them were examined dynamically by Open-fi eld test (OFT), sucrose consumption test and forced swimming test. Results The animal models of PSD had significantly less weight gain than control group and stroke group(P0.01)at day 14 after CUMS. After given ? uoxertin the animals' body weight in PSD group increased signifi cantly than before. The scores of horizontal and vertical movement activities in OFT of PSD group were signifi cantly less than in control and stroke groups(P0.05 or P0.01). The fi xed time in forced-swimming test was signifi cantly longer in PSD group when compared with control and stroke groups(P0.05). Fluoxertin markedly increased open-fi eld activities(P0.05 or P0.01) and decreased the fi xed time in forced-swimming test(P0.01). Conclusion Anhedonia and underactivity, the core symptoms in the PSD patients, can be found completely and persistently in the PSD group rats. With good operability and repeatability, the rats PSD model is an ideal model for the PSD research. Fluoxetine can improve the behavior abnormality of the PSD rats.