Brain ischemic tolerance model using mouse MCAO Brain ischemic tolerance model using mouse MCAO. A, The MCA was occluded for various periods (from 15 min to 1.5 h), and 3 d later brain damage was assessed by TTC staining of coronal brain sections. Brain ischemic tolerance model using mouse MCAO. A, The MCA was occluded for various periods (from 15 min to 1.5 h), and 3 d later brain damage was assessed by TTC staining of coronal brain sections. A 15 min MCAO period caused no damage, whereas a 1 h MCAO period induced severe injury, mainly in the striatum and cortex. The 15 min MCAO was used for PC, while the 1 h MCAO represented severe MCAO. Scale bar, 2 mm. Sham, sham-operated mice. B, As shown in the experimental protocols, mice received PC 1 d (P1), 3 d (P3), or 6 d (P6) before severe MCAO. The images on the right depict a typical infarct evoked by severe MCAO, showing the effects of PC, which are summarized in C. The severe MCAO-evoked damage in the striatum was significantly reduced when mice received PC 3 d or 6 d earlier (P3 and P6), whereas damage in the cortex was significantly reduced only 6 d after PC (P6). PC 1 d prior (P1) had no effect on brain damage induced by severe MCAO in either brain region. Values are expressed as means ± SEM; *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01 versus severe MCAO alone; n = 4–9. C, Control. D, There was no difference in number of NeuN (green)-positive neurons between Sham and PC groups. Similar to TTC staining, the reduction in number of NeuN-positive neurons after severe MCAO was significantly inhibited by PC (P3). Scale bar, 50 μm. Values are shown as means ± SEM; **p < 0.01; n = 3–4. Yuri Hirayama et al. J. Neurosci. 2015;35:3794-3805 ©2015 by Society for Neuroscience