Carotid artery disease in post‐stroke survivors and effects of enriched environment on stroke pathology in a mouse model of carotid artery stenosis

Aims Carotid artery disease (CAD) is an important risk factor for stroke. We first evaluated CAD and stroke pathology in elderly post‐stroke survivors. To simulate CAD, we assessed long‐term consequences of bilateral common carotid artery stenosis (BCAS) in mice and exposed them to environmental enrichment (EE). Methods Histopathological methods were used to determine degrees of CAD (% area stenosis), brain infarct types, sizes and distribution in post‐stroke survivors and BCAS mice. Adult male C57BL/6J mice after BCAS or sham surgery were randomly assigned to standard housing (Std) or limited (3 h) or full‐time (Full) exposure to EE per day for 12 weeks. Results High frequencies of moderate carotid artery stenosis (51–75%) were evident in post‐stroke survivors whereas those with severe CAD (>75% stenosis) exhibited greater numbers of cortical rather than subcortical infarcts and, were at higher risk of developing dementia. BCAS in mice reduced cerebral blood flow by 52% (P 50% in BCAS mice exposed to EE compared with BCAS‐Std (P