Table 1.

Structural and behavioural consequences of stroke models

	Ischaemia model	Details of behavioural methods	Results
Studies in mice
Bouët et al., 2007	60 min right MCAo/reperfusion	Sensorimotor and cognitive test battery; analyses up to 26 days after surgery	Long-lasting sensorimotor deficits (postural asymmetries on the corner test, bilateral skilled forepaw reaching deficits on the staircase test, contralateral sensorimotor impairment on the adhesive removal test). Normal spatial learning abilities on the Morris water maze test.
Craft & DeVries, 2006	60 min right MCAo/reperfusion	day 7 after surgery; sucrose consumption (as measure of hedonia)	Anhedonia; treatment with interleukin-1 receptor antagonist can reverse post-stroke anhedonia
Espinera et al., 2013	Distal right MCAo	Subset of animals treated with citalopram; adhesive removal test (3 and 14 days post stroke)	Citalopram treatment has no effect on infarction formation and brain oedema 72 h after stroke; citalopram-treated mice show better functional recovery than saline-treated controls 3 and 14 days after stroke in the adhesive removal test; increased expression of BDNF in the peri-infarct region 7 days after stroke in citalopram-treated animals
Freret et al., 2006	Transient (30 min or 60 min) occlusion of the right MCA	Sensorimotor behaviour was assessed using neurological score, limb-placing, adhesive removal, and staircase tests	Cortical damage correlated to all transient and long-lasting sensorimotor deficits, striatal lesion more consistently reflected by forelimb-placing reflexes and adhesive removal motor deficits.
Kronenberg et al., 2012	30 min MCAo/reperfusion	14 weeks after surgery; comprehensive behavioural battery including spontaneous locomotor activity, elevated plus maze, sucrose consumption, Porsolt’s forced swim test; subset of animals received delayed treatment with SSRI citalopram beginning 7 days after MCAo	rMCAo: hyperactivity
			lMCAO: anxious-depressive phenotype which could be reversed by treatment with citalopram
O’Keefe et al., 2014	60 min of reversible right MCAo	Investigation of the sub-acute (2 weeks) and chronic (7 weeks) effects of social isolation on post-stroke functional and histological outcome; open field test, elevated zero maze, Porsolt’s forced swim test	No effect of stroke on locomotor activity; no difference in anxiety-like behaviour between groups; however, worsened histological damage from ischaemic injury and an increase in depressive-like behaviour in isolated mice as compared with pair-housed mice. Mice isolated immediately after stroke show a decrease in the serum levels of BDNF.
Royl et al., 2009	45 min left MCAo/reperfusion	Sucrose consumption, pole test, wire hanging test (during the third week after MCAo); subset of animals were treated with PDE5 inhibitor vardenafil	Sensorimotor and hedonic deficits after MCAO, no effect of vardenafil
Sun et al., 2013	Distal left MCAo	Analysis approximately 8 weeks after surgery; Catwalk automated gait analysis; Barnes maze test; conditional ablation of neurogenesis using nestin-δ-HSV-TK-EGFP transgenic model and GCV treatment	Conditional ablation of NPCs exacerbates stroke-induced cognitive impairment
Winter et al., 2004	30 min left MCAo/reperfusion	6 weeks after surgery; Bederson score, sensorimotor coordination (rotarod), spatial navigation (Morris water maze)	Dysexecutive syndrome with distinct deficits in the probe trial and visible platform task (Morris water maze)
Winter et al., 2005	30 min MCAo/reperfusion	8 to 10 weeks after surgery; Bederson score, spontaneous locomotor activity, Porsolt’s forced swim test	lMCAo: increased anxiety
			rMCAo: hyperactivity
Studies in rats
Boyko et al., 2013	Permanent right MCAo	Analysis of young and old rats after MCAO; behavioural tests at 3 weeks after MCAO (sucrose preference test, two-way shuttle avoidance task, forced swimming test)	Reduced sucrose consumption as well as increased anxiety and despair-related behaviours in MCAO rats as compared with sham-operated rats with no additional effect of aging; however, old rats have larger infarcts.
Cheng et al., 2013	90 min left MCAo	Ovariectomy (all animals); treatment with 17β-oestradiol in a subset of animals; open field test, sucrose consumption and Porsolt’s forced swim test	Ischaemia causes reduced sucrose consumption, reduced locomotion and reduced rearing activity (from the end of the first week to the end of the third week after MCAo); treatment with 17β-oestradiol attenuates depressive-like behaviours (measured by sucrose consumption and Porsolt test); treatment with 17β-oestradiol does not influence infarct volume, but increases neurogenesis after MCAO
Kato et al., 2000	2 h left MCAo	Shuttle box behaviour (day 15); subset of animals received monoamine re-uptake inhibitor T-794 after stroke	MCAO results in more escape failures, this is attenuated by T-794
Nemeth et al., 2012	Microembolism model (micro-spheres are injected into the left internal carotid artery)	Short recovery (SR) time point (4–6 days) or long recovery (LR) time point (14–17 days post-surgery); open field test, sucrose consumption, social interaction; spatial memory in the Barnes Maze at the LR time point and beyond (35 days post-surgery).	Microembolism infarcts lead to an increase in anxiety- and depressive-like behaviours at the LR, but not the SR, time point. Impaired spatial memory at 33 days.
Robinson, 1979	Ligation of left or right MCA	4 to 17 days after surgery; spontaneous activity (running wheel activity and open field exploration)	Right hemispheric infarction results in generalized hyperactivity
Quinn et al., 2005	90 min left MCAo	Homecage behaviour (LABORAS) and social interaction	Rats subjected to MCAO showed deficits in general home cage behaviours including locomotion, rearing, grooming and drinking for up to 7 weeks post-occlusion, as compared with sham-operated controls; significant decrease in the total duration of social interaction in occluded rats compared with shams.
Wang et al., 2008	Permanent left MCAo	Additional chronic mild stress (CMS) procedure for 18 consecutive days after ischaemia; subset of animals received citalopram; open field test and sucrose consumption after approximately 3 weeks	Locomotor activity is reduced by combination of CMS and MCAO, citalopram reverses this effect; sucrose consumption is reduced by combination of CMS and MCAO, citalopram also reverses this effect
Wang et al., 2009b	Permanent left MCAo	Additional CMS procedure for 18 consecutive days after ischaemia in a subset of animals; subset of animals received citalopram; open field test and sucrose consumption; analyses up to 6 weeks	MCAO + CMS decreases locomotor activity, citalopram reverses this effect; MCAO alone does not alter sucrose consumption; MCAO + CMS decreases sucrose consumption, citalopram reverses this effect
Wang et al., 2009a	Permanent left MCAo	Additional CMS procedure for 18 consecutive days after ischaemia in a subset of animals; subset of animals received citalopram; open field test and sucrose consumption; analyses up to four weeks	MCAO + CMS decreases locomotor activity, citalopram reverses this effect (day 19); MCAO + CMS decreases sucrose consumption, citalopram reverses this effect; decreased protein expression and mRNA levels of 5-HT1A receptors in MCAO + CMS, reversed by citalopram treatment
Wang et al., 2010	Permanent left MCAo	Additional 14 day CMS protocol; subset of animals received citalopram and selective 5-HT1A antagonists WAY-100635; sucrose consumption; analyses up to 4 weeks	Combination of citalopram and WAY-100635 increases sucrose consumption in MCAO + CMS rats; combination of citalopram and WAY-100635 increases hippocampal neurogenesis in MCAO + CMS rats
Wang et al., 2012	Permanent left MCAo	Additional CMS procedure for 18 consecutive days after ischaemia in a subset of animals; subset of animals received γ-secretase inhibitor DAPT; open field test and sucrose consumption; analyses up to 28 days	MCAO + CMS decreases locomotor activity and sucrose consumption; DAPT increases sucrose consumption in MCAO + CMS group; DAPT reduces apoptosis in dentate gyrus of MCAO + CMS group