Comparisons Between Different Rodent Stroke Scales: Optimizing Resource Allocation in Rat Models of Focal Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion (P5.225)

Objective: The present study aimed to compare the Garcia, Modo, and Longa neurological assessments and determine which is most effective for accurately and consistently quantifying neurological deficits in the context of focal MCAo in rats. Background: The use of rodent stroke models allow for the understanding of stroke pathophysiology. There is currently no gold standard neurological assessment to measure deficits and recovery from stroke in rodent models. Agreement on a universal stroke scale allows for comparison of the outcomes among conducted clinical studies. Methods: Focal MCAo was induced in 22 male Wistar rats using a novel transfemoral method. Rodents were assessed for neurological deficit pre-injury as well as 3 hours and 24 post-injury using the Garcia test, Modo test, and the Longa test. Data was statistically analyzed to determine Pearson correlation coefficients in addition to McNemar’s chi squared values between each neurological assessment. Results: All three stroke scales—Garcia, Modo, and Longa—showed statistically significant changes between the baseline and the 3-hour neurological assessments. A trend towards neurological recovery was observed in all three scales between the 3 and 24-hour endpoints. The three scales were highly correlated with each other, with Garcia and Modo having the strongest correlation. Of the three pairwise analyses, the comparison between the Garcia and Longa tests demonstrated the highest McNemar’s chi squared values for homogeneity. Conclusions: The strong Pearson correlation coefficient between Garcia and Modo tests along with the large McNemar chi squared value between the Garcia and Longa test-pair allow us to recommend the use of both the Garcia and Longa neurological scales together to capture the broadest range of neurological factors. Disclosure: Dr. Bachour has nothing to disclose. Dr. Hevesi has nothing to disclose. Dr. Sweis has nothing to disclose. Dr. Safinia has nothing to disclose. Dr. Divani has nothing to disclose.