Fig. 4

GFAP-IkBα-dn mice are protected from the deleterious effects of chronic hypoperfusion. a Laser speckle contrast imaging of GFAP-IkBα-dn mice demonstrated cerebral hypoperfusion after BCAS compared with sham-treated mice (p < 0.05, Mann–Whitney test) similar to blood flow levels observed in wildtype mice shown in Fig. 1. b India ink angiograms revealed that the patency/development of the posterior communicating artery (PComA) was similar in wildtype and GFAP-IkBα-dn mice (n = 5 for each group; p > 0.05, Mann–Whitney test). c-f Reactive astrogliosis was evident in GFAP-IkBα-dn mice after BCAS. However, microgliosis, demyelination and loss of axonal integrity were strongly ameliorated (6 weeks after BCAS; n = 6 for each group and staining; Mann–Whitney test for each comparison). g 6 weeks after BCAS, GFAP-IkBα-dn mice spent significantly more time in the novel arm during the retrieval trial of the Y maze compared to wildtype mice subjected to BCAS, indicating preserved spatial memory function (n = 12 for each group; Mann–Whitney test; Two-way ANOVA: F(1, 46) = 5.52, p = 0.02 for genotype effect). h-j The distance travelled and velocity, as well as the level of anxiety, of GFAP-IkBα-dn mice subjected to sham surgery or BCAS did not differ significantly and was similar to wildtype mice. Wildtype mouse data in G-J correspond to those in Fig. 2