Pronounced arterial collateralization was induced after permanent rat cerebral four-vessel occlusion. Relation to neuropathology and capillary ultrastructure

The present study investigates chronic changes in cerebral arterial vessel system, microvasculature, and brain histopathology using an adult rat model based on permanent and stepwise occlusion of four cerebral vessels. Digital subtraction angiography (DSA) was performed to study chronic changes in arterial cerebral vessel system after permanent vessel occlusion. Long-lasting functional changes such as NMDA-, AMPA- and GABAA-receptor binding were detected in hippocampus and dentate gyrus using autoradiography. Structural changes in cerebral capillaries were investigated using light- and electron microscopy.