Fig. 2

Photomicrographs of haematoxylin and eosin-stained sections of the rat brain in tMCAO model conditions. a–d 4.5 h after tMCAO. e–h 24 h after tMCAO. a, e Coronal rat brain sections at the level of − 0.3 mm from the bregma. Asterisks indicate the damaged area involving the caudoputamen nucleus of the right hemisphere. b–d High-magnification images of the zone of ischemic injury in the dorsolateral region of the caudoputamen. c Area of panel (b) marked with a rectangle. d Hypoxic damage to neurons, with pyknotic nuclei and peri-cellular oedema indicated in the ischemic zone (thick black arrows); decrease of nuclear basophilia in the neurons (thin black arrows); single intact neurons (white arrows). f–h Infarction zone within the caudoputamen at higher magnification. g Area of panel (f) marked with a rectangle. The change zone: from normal through to ischemic-injured (penumbra) to necrotic tissue. h Ischemic necrosis of the brain tissue in the central core of an infarct destruction of the neuropil (white asterisks); dead “pyknotic” neurons (thick black arrows)