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Articles by Paul Whishaw in JoVE
JoVE General
Struktur av utbildad Forelimb Nå i Rat: förflyttning Rating Scale
Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge
Den skickliga nå skala delar förflyttningar genom en forelimb i en räckhåll för mat agera i komposit ingående komponenter som vardera bedöms med en tregradig skala. Den skattningsskala beskrivs för en normal råtta och kan tillämpas mot att kunna utvärdera neurologiska motoriska störningar.
Other articles by Paul Whishaw on PubMed
Distinct Forelimb and Hind Limb Stepping Impairments in Unilateral Dopamine-depleted Rats: Use of the Rotorod As a Method for the Qualitative Analysis of Skilled Walking
The rotorod test, in which animals walk on a rotating drum, is widely used to assess motor status in laboratory rodents. Performance is measured by the duration that an animal stays up on the drum as a function of drum speed. Here we report that the task provides a rich source of information about qualitative aspects of walking movements. Because movements are performed in a fixed location, they can readily be examined using high-speed video recording methods. The present study was undertaken to examine the potential of the rotorod to reveal qualitative changes in the walking movements of hemi-Parkinson analogue rats, produced by injection of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) into the nigrostriatal bundle to deplete nigrostriatal dopamine (DA). Beginning on the day following surgery and then periodically over the next two months, the rats were filmed from frontal, lateral, and posterior views as they walked on the rotorod. Behavior was analyzed by frame-by-frame replay of the video records. Rating scales of stepping behavior indicated that the hemi-Parkinson rats were chronically impaired in their posture and in the use of the limbs contralateral to the DA-depletion. The contralateral limbs not only displayed postural and movement abnormalities, they participated less in initiating and sustaining propulsion than did the ipsilateral limbs. These findings not only reveal new deficits secondary to unilateral DA-depletion, but also show that the rotorod can provide a robust tool for the qualitative analysis of movement.
The Topography of Three-dimensional Exploration: a New Quantification of Vertical and Horizontal Exploration, Postural Support, and Exploratory Bouts in the Cylinder Test
The study of exploratory behavior in confined spaces can provide insights into both the spatial and the motor behavior of animals. In the present study, the behavior of rats placed inside of a cylinder (the cylinder test) for 5 min was examined to uncover: (1) the overall organization of exploratory behavior, (2) pattern of movement on the horizontal surface, (3) pattern of movement on the vertical surface, and (4) supporting and stepping movements. The results show that exploratory behavior is organized into a number of bouts of lateral and vertical scans with each bout ending by movement arrest and face washing. Within bouts, activity consists of alternating horizontal and vertical progressions that vary systematically over the course of a bout. Horizontal progressions consist of head scans, turning, and stepping, and decrease in amplitude across a bout. Vertical progressions consist of rears, head scans, and descent with an amplitude expressed by an inverted-U across bouts. Each horizontal and vertical progression is directed toward a different portion of the cylinder and the direction of lateral movements alternate within progressions and between progressions. For each rat, bouts tended to end in the same location suggesting the establishment of a home base. Eshkol-Wachmann movement analysis indicates that during progressions, the forepaws are mainly used for postural support and follow forequarter movements, while upward, downward, and sideward shifts in body weight are generated from the hind limbs. These findings illustrate that in even brief exploratory tests the three-dimensional exploratory behavior of rats is organized. The results are discussed in relation to the use of the cylinder test for analyzing a number of behaviors including exploration, locomotion, and supporting reactions.
