Animals

Ten adult, male Long-Evans rats (weight = 312 – 353 grams, Harlan Laboratories, Inc., Indianapolis, IN) were acquired at three months of age. Rats were singly housed and provided food and water. The room was kept on a 12-h:12-h light/dark cycle, and ambient temperature was maintained at 22 °C. Protocols for animal use were approved by the Kansas University Medical Center Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee and complied with the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (Eighth Edition, The National Academies Press, 2011). Rats (n=10) were assigned randomly to one of three groups: Intact group (n=4), or Ischemia group (n=6).