Temporary loss of water channels around blood vessels in the brain's thinking area after brief artery blockage in mice

Quantitative analysis reveals a loss of perivascular AQP4 in the striatal core after 24 hours of reperfusion following ischemic stroke.

• Distinct patterns of AQP4 expression were observed in the ischemic striatum and neocortex during the reperfusion phase after middle cerebral artery occlusion.
• The striatal core experienced a significant loss of perivascular AQP4 with no signs of recovery at 24 hours post-reperfusion.
• The affected cortex showed a similar loss of perivascular AQP4, but there was a partial recovery noted by 72 hours of reperfusion.
• Loss of perivascular AQP4 was linked to the disappearance of characteristic square lattice structures in the astrocyte membrane.
• The cortical border zone exhibited a slight increase in perivascular AQP4 at 24 hours of reperfusion, contrasting with the central ischemic lesion.

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