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(Stroke. 2005;36:2006.)
© 2005 American Heart Association, Inc.

Original Contributions

Social Interaction Improves Experimental Stroke Outcome

Tara K.S. Craft, MA; Erica R. Glasper, MA; Louise McCullough, MD, PhD; Ning Zhang, MD; Nobuo Sugo, MD; Takashi Otsuka, MD; Patricia D. Hurn, PhD A. Courtney DeVries, PhD

From the Departments of Psychology (T.K.S.C., E.R.G., N.Z., A.C.D.) and Neuroscience (A.C.D.) and the Institute of Behavioral Medicine Research (A.C.D.), The Ohio State University, Columbus; Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine (N.S., T.O.), Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Md; the Departments of Neurology and Neuroscience (L.D.M.), University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington; and the Department of Anesthesiology (P.D.H.), Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland.

Correspondence to A. Courtney DeVries, Departments of Psychology and Neuroscience, Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research, The Ohio State University, 01 Townshend Hall, 1885 Neil Ave, Columbus, OH 43210. E-mail devries.14{at}osu.edu

Background and Purpose— Social interaction can have a profound effect on health. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether affiliative social interactions before and after stroke improve ischemic outcomes as assessed through histological analysis and behavioral assays.

Methods— Male and female C57BL/6 mice were housed individually or with an ovariectomized female. Behavioral assessments were made 24 hours before 60 or 90 minutes of transient intraluminal middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) or SHAM surgery and after 7 days of reperfusion. Two hours after behavioral testing on day 7, infarct size was determined by 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium histology, and blood samples were collected for assessment of corticosterone and C-reactive protein (CRP) concentrations.

Results— Pair housing significantly decreased infarct size and improved contralateral paw use in 60-minute MCAO males and 90-minute MCAO females compared with socially isolated cohorts. Housing condition had no significant effect on infarct size in females that underwent 60 minutes of MCAO, but pair housing was associated with improved contralateral paw use relative to socially isolated mice. In a separate cohort of males, intraischemic CRP concentration was significantly reduced in pair-housed males relative to isolated males.

Conclusions— Affiliative interaction during the peri-ischemic period reduces intraischemic CRP concentration, decreases ischemic damage in male and female mice, and improves behavioral outcome.

Key Words: behavior • ischemia • stroke

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