Spatial Navigation Test
Objective: Evaluation of spatial navigation to assess cognitive function recovery after experimental permanent stroke in rats
This is a Spatial Navigation Test protocol using rat as the model organism. The procedure involves 6 procedural steps, 1 equipment items, 2 materials. Extracted from a 2013 paper published in Brain.
Model and subjects
rat • Sprague-Dawley • male • 12 months old
Study window
~3.1 week study window | ~86 hours hands-on
Core workflow
Surgical Procedure - Permanent Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion • Dose-Response Study - Initial Progesterone Administration • Dose-Response Study - Subcutaneous Injections
Primary readouts
- Spatial navigation performance
- Locomotor activity
- Grip strength
- Sensory neglect
Key equipment and reagents
Use this page as an execution guide, then fall back to the source paper whenever you need exact exclusions, dosing details, or assay-specific caveats.
Confirm first
- Verify the animal model, intervention setup, and collection timepoints against the source paper.
- Check that every direct vendor link matches the exact specification your lab plans to run.
Use the page like this
- Work through the protocol steps in order and use the inline vendor chips only when you need to source or verify an item.
- Jump to Experimental Context for readouts, data shape, and analysis flow before planning downstream analysis.
Protocol Steps
Start here. The step list is optimized for running the experiment, with direct vendor links available inline when you need to source a cited item.
Surgical Procedure - Permanent Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion
Male Sprague-Dawley rats (12 months old) underwent permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion or sham operations
Note: Sham operation group served as control
View evidence from paper
“We tested male Sprague-Dawley rats (12 months old) with permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion or sham operations”
Dose-Response Study - Initial Progesterone Administration
Animals received intraperitoneal injections of progesterone at 1 hour post-occlusion
Note: Three dose levels tested: 8, 16, or 32 mg/kg
View evidence from paper
“For the dose-response study, animals received intraperitoneal injections of progesterone (8, 16 or 32 mg/kg) at 1 h post-occlusion”
Dose-Response Study - Subcutaneous Injections
Animals received subcutaneous injections of progesterone at 6 hours post-occlusion and then once every 24 hours for 7 days
Note: Same dose levels as intraperitoneal injection phase
View evidence from paper
“subcutaneous injections at 6 h and then once every 24 h for 7 days”
Time-Window Study - Progesterone Administration
Optimal dose of progesterone was given starting at 3, 6, or 24 hours post-stroke
Note: The 8 mg/kg dose was determined to be optimal based on dose-response results
View evidence from paper
“For the time-window study, the optimal dose of progesterone was given starting at 3, 6 or 24 h post-stroke”
Behavioral Testing - Spatial Navigation Assessment
Spatial navigation test performed to evaluate cognitive function recovery
Note: Part of comprehensive behavioral assessment including locomotor activity, grip strength, sensory neglect, gait impairment, and motor coordination
View evidence from paper
“improved functional outcomes up to 3 weeks after stroke on locomotor activity, grip strength, sensory neglect, gait impairment, motor coordination and spatial navigation tests”
Brain Extraction and Infarct Volume Evaluation
Rats were killed and brains extracted for evaluation of infarct volume
Note: Terminal timepoint for histological analysis
View evidence from paper
“Rats were killed at 22 days post-stroke and brains extracted for evaluation of infarct volume”