Technique for collection of cerebrospinal fluid from the cisterna magna in rat.

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is in direct contact with the extracellular space in the central nervous system (CNS), and biological changes in the brain can be reflected in CSF. In the present article, a procedure for collection of CSF in rats is described. The technique quickly and reliably yields large quantities of CSF (50-150 microl) in rats.

Rosiglitazone alone or in combination with tissue plasminogen activator improves ischemic brain injury in an embolic model in rats.

In this study, we examined whether rosiglitazone, a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) agonist, is neuroprotective in focal ischemic brain injury, and whether rosiglitazone can enhance the protective action of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), an agent used clinically for thrombolytic therapy. Rats were subjected to ischemic brain injury by embolizing preformed clots into the middle cerebral artery (MCA). Treatment with rosiglitazone reduced infarction and improved functional recovery; it also enhanced the neuroprotective action of tPA and lengthened the time window for initiating tPA treatment.