Abstract: Objective To search an exact method to evaluate the middle cerebral artery occlusion (MACO) model and provide a more consistent model for followed experiments, the functional magnetic resonance was mainly applied to comprehensively evaluate the rat's focal cerebral ischemia model. Method The MACO model was synthetically judged by Bederson score comparation, the comprehensive behavioral score of neural symptoms, the brain TTC staining and mainly by the functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) which was applied to detect the infract position, angiemphraxis and nerve fiber bundle. Result The fMRI detection on the model group rats was showed that the significant edema was appeared in surgical and lateral sides of temporal parietal lobe, meantime, CCA, ICA, ECA were completely blocked and nerve fibers bundles were rare, even some of them were broken off or missed. Rank correlation analysis was showed that the nervous deficit scores and cerebral infarction were in the proportion of relevant (rs=0.879, P<0.01). Each nervous symptom in the model group has significant differences compared with the sham operation group (P<0.01). Conclusion The fMRI, combined with the standard nervous symptom score and TTC staining can accurately determine the injury location and extent of damage in stroke model rats in vivo, so that the consistent stroke model rats can screen out finally.

Key words: Rat, Middle cerebral artery occlusion model, Functional magnetic resonance imaging, Evaluation