Assessing Blood-Brain Barrier Integrity in a Laser-Induced Brain Injury Rat Model

Source: Kuts, R. et al. Laser-Induced Brain Injury in the Motor Cortex of Rats. J. Vis. Exp. (2020)This video demonstrates assessing blood-brain barrier (BBB) integrity following laser-induced brain injury in rats. A tracking dye is injected into the tail vein, allowing it to circulate to the brain and leak into the tissue through the damaged BBB. The brain is then extracted and processed to release the dye. The fluorescence intensity of the dye is measured to quantify the extent of laser-induced BBB damage.