Transient Bilateral Common Carotid Artery Occlusion (tBCCAO) of Rats as a Model of Global Cerebral Ischemia

Background: Transient bilateral common carotid artery occlusion (tBCCAO) has been performed in rats as a model of global ischemia. However, the technique varied between laboratories and produced difficulties in the comparison of results. Variations such as rat strain, age, ischemic and reperfusion duration could affect the results. This review aims to provide a general overview of the variation of animal strains, duration of tBCCAO, reported cerebral ischemic area produced by tBCCAO, use of TTC staining for measurement of volume of brain ischemia and functional neurological tests