Stroke is the third most common cause of death and a main cause of acquired adult disability in developed countries. Only very limited
therapeutical options are available for a small proportion of stroke patients in the acute phase. Current research is intensively searching for novel
therapeutic strategies and is increasingly focusing on the sub-acute and chronic phase after stroke because more patients might be eligible for
therapeutic interventions in a prolonged time window. These delayed mechanisms include important pathophysiological pathways such as post-
stroke inflammation, angiogenesis, neuronal plasticity and regeneration. In order to analyze these mechanisms and to subsequently evaluate
novel drug targets, experimental stroke models with clinical relevance, low mortality and high reproducibility are sought after. Moreover, mice
are the smallest mammals in which a focal stroke lesion can be induced and for which a broad spectrum of transgenic models are available.
Therefore, we describe here the mouse model of transcranial, permanent coagulation of the middle cerebral artery via electrocoagulation distal
of the lenticulostriatal arteries, the so-called “coagulation model”. The resulting infarct in this model is located mainly in the cortex; the relative
infarct volume in relation to brain size corresponds to the majority of human strokes. Moreover, the model fulfills the above-mentioned criteria
of reproducibility and low mortality. In this video we demonstrate the surgical methods of stroke induction in the “coagulation model” and report
histological and functional analysis tools.