A novel needle mouse model of vascular cognitive impairment and dementia.
Zhongfang WengCatherine CaoNadezda A StepichevaFenghua ChenLesley M FoleySarah CaoMohammad Iqbal H BhuiyanQingde WangYuan WangT Kevin HitchensDandan SunGuodong CaoPublished in: The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience (2023)
BCAS is an animal model mimicking carotid artery stenosis to study VCID. However, current BCAS models cost high cost and is incompatibility with MRI scanning due to metal implantation. We established a new asymmetric BCAS model by ligating the common carotid artery to various needle gauges followed by an immediate needle removal. Needle removal led to moderate stenosis in the right CCA and severe stenosis in the left CCA. This needle model replicates the hallmarks of VCID well in about 90% of mice, which is more reliable compared to other models, has ultra-low cost, and is compatible with MRI scanning in live animals. It will provide a new valuable tool and offer new insights for VCID research.