Inducing White Matter Stroke in a Murine Model Using a Nitric Oxide Inhibitor

Begin with an anesthetized mouse immobilized in a stereotactic frame with an exposed skull.

Mark the bregma, then drill a hole, beginning posteriorly at the bregma and extending anteriorly, just left of the midline.

Remove tissue layers to expose the myelinated axon-rich cerebral cortex, and apply saline drops to prevent tissue drying.

Attach a pipette filled with a nitric oxide inhibitor to an injector arm, which is positioned at an angle for precise injection.

Adjust the stereotactic coordinates and inject the inhibitor into the white matter of the cerebral cortex, holding the pipette briefly to prevent backflow.

Retract and repeat the injection at other coordinates.

Later, seal the hole and close the incision with adhesive.

The inhibitors bind to nitric oxide-producing enzymes in blood vessel endothelial cells, inhibiting nitric oxide production and constricting blood vessels.

This constriction inhibits blood flow, leading to neuronal damage and lesion formation, developing a white matter stroke.

Begin, by first affixing a pulled glass pipette to tubing attached to a vacuum line. Insert the pulled end into the L-Nio solution or L-Nio plus fluorescent tracer. Start the vacuum, an