2.4. Assessment of the Neurological Deficit

Based on the scoring system of Garcia et al. [20], the neurological behavior of the mice was assessed 72 h and 28 d postreperfusion by an observer blind to the animal grouping. This system consisted of the following six tests: spontaneous activity, symmetrical movements of the upper and lower limbs, forepaw outstretching, climbing, body proprioception, and response to vibrissal touch. The final score was the sum of all six individual test scores. The minimum neurological score was 3, while the maximum was 18.

The grid-walking test was used to assess the walking performance of the mice. The grid apparatus (40 × 20 cm², each grid cell 2 × 2 cm², and height 50 cm) was located in a sound attenuated room. Performance was recorded for 60 s using a video camera located beside the apparatus at an angle of approximately 20 to 40 degrees. A foot slip was recorded when one paw completely missed a bar with the limb falling between the bars or when the paw was correctly placed on the bar but slipped off during weight bearing. The total steps of the left forelimb and hind limb were counted, and the percentage of foot fault was measured by dividing the number of foot slips of the left forelimb and left hind limb by the total number of left steps taken with 60 s [21].