Elsevier

Neuroscience Letters

Volume 246, Issue 1, 17 April 1998, Pages 1-4
Neuroscience Letters

A lateralised grip strength test to evaluate unilateral nigrostriatal lesions in rats

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0304-3940(98)00194-3Get rights and content

Abstract

A modified grip strength meter was designed to enable the separate measurement of lateralised grip strength in the two forelimbs of rats, in order to allow assessment of deficits in animals with unilateral lesions and grafts within the basal ganglia. Unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine lesions of the dopaminergic nigrostriatal bundle induced a significant asymmetry, marked by an increased grip strength on the side contralateral to the lesion. Lesioned animals with additional implants of embryonic nigral cell suspensions into the dopamine-denervated neostriatum showed a reduced (but not significant) deficit and did not differ from control performance. The lateralised nature of the deficit excludes explanation based on global activational changes; rather the unilateral deficit may provide a simple test of unilateral `rigidity' in a widely used rodent model of Parkinson's disease.

Section snippets

Acknowledgements

This study was supported by grants from the Medical Research Council and the Wellcome Trust.

References (24)

  • Dunnett, S.B., Rotation. In A. Sahgal (Ed.), Behavioural Neuroscience: A Practical Approach, Vol. II, IRL Press,...
  • Dunnett, S.B. and Björklund, A., Neural Transplantation: A Practical Approach, IRL Press, Oxford,...
  • Cited by (50)

    • A hacked kitchen scale-based system for quantification of grip strength in rodents

      2022, Computers in Biology and Medicine
      Citation Excerpt :

      A marked increase in grip strength has been observed upon administration of 6-OHDA into the nigrostriatal bundle [14,35]. Although the mechanism remains to be elucidated, it has been proposed that it reflects processes related to nigrostriatal degeneration-induced rigidity in human PD [35]. Here, we exploited the griPASTA system to assess muscular rigidity following bilateral intrastriatal 6-OHDA administration.

    • Cumulative Brain Injury from Motor Vehicle-Induced Whole-Body Vibration and Prevention by Human Apolipoprotein A-I Molecule Mimetic (4F) Peptide (an Apo A-I Mimetic)

      2015, Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases
      Citation Excerpt :

      Immediately after release, grip forces were recorded. Reduced strength in the front paw is an indication of injury to the motor fibers of median and ulnar nerves and loss of muscle tone.30,32 The rat's carotid and temporal artery blood flow was measured as an index of blood supply to the brain using a GE Vivid 7 Ultrasound System and GE Echo software (GE Healthcare, Wauwatosa, WI).

    View all citing articles on Scopus
    View full text