Figure 1.

The Experimental Protocol. Before establishing the PMCAO model, a-bungarotoxin (a7nAChR antagonist) and saline (antagonist control) were administered intracerebroventricularly for 30 min in PMCAO+VNS+A and PMCAO+VNS+AC groups, respectively. The PMCAO+P group received intraperitoneal injection with a7nAChR agonist 30 min after PMCAO. Neurological function and infarct volume assessment were performed in half of the rats of each group, and the other half were subjected to Western blot analysis at 24 h after PMCAO.