Modified Morris Water Maze
Objective: Evaluate cognitive and sensorimotor functional recovery following traumatic brain injury in rats treated with exosomes derived from mesenchymal stem cells
This is a Modified Morris Water Maze protocol using rat as the model organism. The procedure involves 8 procedural steps, 1 equipment items, 2 materials. Extracted from a 2015 paper published in Journal of neurosurgery.
Model and subjects
rat • Wistar • 8
Study window
~5 week study window
Core workflow
Traumatic brain injury induction • Exosome or vehicle administration • Modified Morris water maze testing
Primary readouts
- Cognitive and sensorimotor functional recovery
- Lesion volume
- Neurovascular remodeling (angiogenesis and neurogenesis)
- Neuroinflammation
Key equipment and reagents
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Protocol Steps
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Traumatic brain injury induction
Wistar rats were subjected to traumatic brain injury
Note: Baseline procedure before treatment
View evidence from paper
“Wistar rats were subjected to TBI”
Exosome or vehicle administration
Tail vein injection of either 100 µg protein of exosomes derived from MSCs or equal volume of vehicle phosphate-buffered saline
Note: Two treatment groups: exosome-treated (n=8) and vehicle control (n=8)
View evidence from paper
“tail vein injection of 100 µg protein of exosomes derived from MSCs or an equal volume of vehicle phosphate-buffered saline (n = 8/group) 24 hours later”
Modified Morris water maze testing
Cognitive and sensorimotor functional recovery assessment using modified Morris water maze
Note: Performed as part of functional recovery evaluation
View evidence from paper
“To evaluate cognitive and sensorimotor functional recovery, the modified Morris water maze, neurological severity score and footfault tests were performed”
Neurological severity score assessment
Neurological assessment to evaluate functional recovery
Note: Performed alongside Morris water maze and footfault tests
View evidence from paper
“the modified Morris water maze, neurological severity score and footfault tests were performed”
Footfault test
Sensorimotor assessment test for functional recovery evaluation
Note: Performed alongside Morris water maze and neurological severity score
View evidence from paper
“the modified Morris water maze, neurological severity score and footfault tests were performed”
Animal sacrifice
Rats were sacrificed for tissue analysis
Note: Endpoint for tissue collection
View evidence from paper
“Animals were sacrificed at 35 days after TBI”
Histopathological analysis
Tissue analysis for lesion volume measurement
Note: Performed on sacrificed animals
View evidence from paper
“Histopathological and immunohistochemical analyses were performed for measurements of lesion volume”
Immunohistochemical analysis
Analysis of neurovascular remodeling (angiogenesis and neurogenesis) and neuroinflammation
Note: Performed on sacrificed animals
View evidence from paper
“Histopathological and immunohistochemical analyses were performed for measurements of lesion volume, neurovascular remodeling (angiogenesis and neurogenesis), and neuroinflammation”