Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Gait Analysis Indicate Similar Outcomes Between Yucatan and Landrace Porcine Ischemic Stroke Models

The objective of this study was to characterize brain anatomy and assess spatiotemporal gait parameters in two commonly utilized research pig breeds, Yucatan and Landrace, pre- and post-stroke using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and gait analysis. This study demonstrated Yucatan and Landrace pigs exhibit differences in gross brain anatomy and gait patterns pre-stroke. However, stroke pathologies including lesion volume, diffusivity, hemisphere swelling, ventricle compression, and caudal transtentorial and foramen magnum herniation, showed no statistical difference between the breeds. In addition, post-stroke changes in velocity, cycle time, swing percent, cadence, and mean hoof pressure showed no statistical difference between the breeds. These results indicate pigs of these different breeds show a similar ischemic stroke response and findings can be compared across porcine stroke studies that use different breeds. Check out this paper at PubMed®.