IN VIVO IMAGING

STROK@LLIANCE has:

– 2 laser speckle flowmeter for in vivo evaluation of cerebral blood flow over the whole cortex
– a CT Scan

We also have access to large imaging equipment from CYCERON, a shared technological platform directly connected to our facilities:

– 7T-MRI (Bruker) with various sequences:

  • lesion and edema volume (T2)
  • diffusion-weighted imaging and ADC mapping
  • perfusion-weighted imaging (T1)
  • angiography (ARM-TOF)
  • hemorrhages (T2*)
  • gadolinium imagery for blood-brain barrier integrity evaluation

– Molecular imagery of inflammation using MRI: VCAM-1 and P-selectin

– µPET-SCAN (Siemens): 18 FDG; 0-15

BEHAVIORAL TESTING

STROK@LLIANCE offers a broad catalogue of behavioral tests for evaluation of both stroke effects and functional recovery.

Most of our tests are automatized or coupled with video-tracking software analysis.

Home cages with environmental enrichment are also available to stimulate functional recovery.

The relevance of our protocols relies on our 25 years of expertise in rodent behavior assessment.

  • Actimetry
  • Catwalk System
  • Rotarod
  • rat tracking
  • spatial-learning
  • Anxiogenic areas in the elevated plus-maze test

Motor control and coordination

  • Rotarod
  • Strength test
  • Catwalk

Sensorimotor testing

  • Neuroscores
  • Adhesive removal
  • Corner test

Exploratory behavior and activity

  • Open-field
  • Actimetry in home cage

Cognition

  • Morris water maze
  • Object recognition test
  • Y-maze
  • T-maze
  • Fear conditioning test
  • Passive avoidance

Anxiety and depression

  • O-maze
  • Elevated plus maze
  • Forced swimming test
  • Tail suspension test
  • Sucrose consumption

PHYSIOLOGICAL MONITORING

During surgery, we are able to control for the following parameters:

  • CBF with Laser Doppler flowmeter to control ischemia
  • Blood parameters: arterial blood pressure, blood gases, glycaemia
  • Body temperature

We can also follow-up these parameters in awake animals after stroke onset:

  • Body temperature using telemetry
  • Glycaemia using a blood glucose monitor
  • Arterial blood pressure using tail cuff plethysmography

BIOLOGICAL SAMPLING & ANALYSES

Tissues could be prepared (fresh or fixed) for biochemical, histological and immunological analysis.

Fluid sampling

  • Acute blood sampling
  • Chronic blood sampling for PK/PD purposes or biomarker monitoring
  • Urine in metabolic cages
  • Cerebrospinal fluid sampling

Fluid analyses

  • Hematological analysis
  • Biochemical analysis (blood, urine, CSF)

Organ sampling and fixation

  • More than 20 organs can be sampled
  • Methods of fixation to meet study needs (Intracardiac PFA, liquid nitrogen freezing, RNAlater, etc.)

Histology

  • Cresyl violet staining
  • TTC staining
  • H&E

Immunohistology

  • Brain: tyrosine hydroxylase, choline acetyltransferase, alpha-synuclein, ubiquitine, reactive microglia, etc.
  • Vascular wall proteins (metalloproteases, tPA, etc.)
  • Methods developed on request