Fig. 4

Representative laser scanning confocal microscopic images showing low-power (a) and high-power (b) views of reactive GFAP-immunoreactive astrocytes at the bilateral (a) or ipsilateral (b) cerebral cortex and striatum in sham-controls or rats 6 h and 24 h after MCAO/R. Scale bars: 100 μm in (a) and 20 μm in (b). (c) Number of GFAP-immunoreactive astrocytes determined by Image J on areas of the bilateral cerebral cortex and striatum represented by (a). Values are mean ± SEM, n = 3 animals in each group. *P < 0.05 versus sham-control group, and ⁺P < 0.05 versus measurement from the contralateral side at corresponding time-points in the post hoc Scheffé multiple-range analysis. Cx, cortex; CPu, corpus striatum putaman; ec, external capsule