Effects of ischemia and other procedures on the brain and retina of the gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus)

The Mongolian gerbil deserves a place in laboratories of experimental neurology, especially those concerned with cerebrovascular disorders, the visual system, or water intoxication, a finding that may be related to peculiarities of its water metabolism.

Abstract

The Mongolian gerbil was highly susceptible to cerebral ischemia induced by ligation of the common carotid arteries. Bilateral ligation was uniformly lethal. Unilateral ligation produced ischemic lesions, sometimes lethal, in the brain or the brain and eye of over half the subjects. The gerbil was also highly susceptible to water intoxication, a finding that may be related to peculiarities of its water metabolism. The gerbil had no special advantage for the study of other adverse factors explored. The gerbil deserves a place in laboratories of experimental neurology, especially those concerned with cerebrovascular disorders, the visual system, or water intoxication.