Mice were anesthetized by intraperitoneal injection of avertin (500 mg/kg of body weight). ICH was induced by intracerebral injection of collagenase as described previously [35 (link)–39 (link)]. Briefly, mice were placed in a stereotaxic frame (Stoelting Co, IL, USA). A 24-gauge needle was inserted through a burr hole into the striatum at the following coordinates: 0.2 mm anterior to the bregma, 2.2 mm lateral to the midline, 3.7 mm in depth below the skull. ICH was induced by administration of collagenase (type VII-S; Sigma, St. Louis, USA; 0.225U in 0.5 μl saline) over 5 minutes. After injection, the needle was kept in place for 10 minutes to prevent reflux. On 2, 5, and 10 days post injury (dpi), mice were transcardially perfused with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) and/or 4% paraformaldehyde (PFA), and the brains were sectioned using a cryostat (Microm HM 550, Thermoscientific, USA).