How to establish a rat model of cognitive impairment after head injury? -【Animal Modeling】

        Objective To explore the preparation and evaluation of an animal model of cognitive impairment after head injury.

   Method 60 healthy male rats (Sprague Dawley, SD), 48 of the water maze screened into the experiment, randomly divided into blank control, model control and model group. The model was prepared by using the electric cortical contusion impactor (eCCI) to strike, and the water maze screening was used to determine the cognitively impaired rats after traumatic brain injury (TBI). Observe the vital signs, nerve function and motor function of rats; Morris water maze experiment; measure the changes of serum MMP-2, MMP-9, SOD, MDA content.

      The results were compared with the blank group: the vital signs of the model group were stable, and the behavioral indicators were different (P<0.05). There were significant differences in the incubation period of the water maze experiment and the results of the space exploration experiment (P<0.01). The serum MMP-2, The content of MMP-9 and MDA increased significantly (P<0.01), and SOD decreased significantly (P<0.01).

   Conclusion This model preparation strategy can better simulate the cognitive impairment after craniocerebral injury. At the same time, it is stable, reproducible, objectively evaluated, and easy to operate. It can be used as a reference for similar research.