The Effect of Sneezing on the Reduction of Infarct Volume and the Improvement of Neurological Deficits in Male Rats.

Background: Sneezing transiently elevates cerebral blood flow. We speculated that induced sneezing, following embolism would restore arterial flow, thereby diminishing infarct volume and improving neurological deficits.

Materials And Methods: Male rats were subjected to middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) using prepared clots (embolization) and randomized into four equal groups as follows: (1) pre-MCAO-induced sneezing (PRMIS), (2) post-MCAO-induced sneezing (POMIS), and (3) pre- and POMIS (PRPOMIS) and the control group (eight rats per group).