The Vermicelli and Capellini Handling Tests: Simple quantitative measures of dexterous forepaw function in rats and mice

Kelly A. Tennant; Aaron L. Asay; Rachel P. Allred; Angela R. Ozburn; Jeffrey A. Kleim; Theresa A. Jones

doi:10.3791/2076

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The Vermicelli and Capellini Handling Tests: Simple quantitative measures of dexterous forepaw function in rats and mice

JoVE Journal
Neuroscience

This content is Free Access.

JoVE Journal Neuroscience

The Vermicelli and Capellini Handling Tests: Simple quantitative measures of dexterous forepaw function in rats and mice

20,866 Views

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09:37 min

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July 21, 2010

DOI:

10.3791/2076-v

DOI:

10.3791/2076-v

•

09:37 min

July 21, 2010

•

21 Views

Kelly A. Tennant¹, Aaron L. Asay², Rachel P. Allred³, Angela R. Ozburn⁴, Jeffrey A. Kleim⁵, Theresa A. Jones^1,2

¹Institute for Neuroscience,University of Texas at Austin, ²Department of Psychology,University of Texas at Austin, ³Department of Neurology,University of Florida, ⁴Department of Psychiatry,University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, ⁵Department of Neuroscience, McKnight Brain Institute,University of Florida

Summary

The Vermicelli and Capellini Handling Tests of forepaw dexterity take advantage of the natural inclination of rodents to manipulate food items using skillful forepaw and digit movements. Animals are videotaped while handling short strands of uncooked dry pasta. Slow motion video playback allows for the quantification of forepaw adjustments.