Assessment of Motor Balance and Coordination in Mice using the Balance Beam

Abstract

Brain injury, genetic manipulations, and pharmacological treatments can result in alterations of motor skills in mice. Fine motor coordination and balance can be assessed by the beam walking assay. The goal of this test is for the mouse to stay upright and walk across an elevated narrow beam to a safe platform. This test takes place over 3 consecutive days: 2 days of training and 1 day of testing. Performance on the beam is quantified by measuring the time it takes for the mouse to traverse the beam and the number of paw slips that occur in the process. Here we report the protocol used in our laboratory, and representative results from a cohort of C57BL/6 mice. This task is particularly useful for detecting subtle deficits in motor skills and balance that may not be detected by other motor tests, such as the Rotarod.

The Microglial α7-Acetylcholine Nicotinic Receptor Is a Key Element in Promoting Neuroprotection by Inducing Heme Oxygenase-1 via Nuclear Factor Erythroid-2-Related Factor 2

“…Motor coordination of mice was assessed 24 h after the photothrombotic stroke by measuring the number of contralateral hindpaw slips in the Beam-walk apparatus (36,46). This test takes place over three consecutive days: 2 days of training and 1 day of testing.…”

Low dose EGCG treatment beginning in adolescence does not improve cognitive impairment in a Down syndrome mouse model

“…The balance beam task was performed following a previously described protocol, with modifications (Luong, 2011). The apparatus consisted of 1 m painted wooden beams with a surface width of either 19 mm, 12 mm or 9 mm, situated 58 cm above the floor.…”

Brainstem projections to molecular layer heterotopia of the cerebellar vermis: Evidence from the Allen Mouse Brain Connectivity Database

“…Exactly how heterotopia affect cerebellar function and possibly manifest in behavioral changes of sensorimotor integration, postural control, motor learning, etc, remains an open question. One prediction is that mice with heterotopia might be impaired on behavioral tests such as the balance beam task [28] or the ladder rung task [29] -a finding that would also shed new light on the importance of folia VIII and IX on cerebellar control of sensorimotor function. Thus, when considering that C57BL/6 mice also have neocortical malformations affecting sensory and motor cortices [7][8], MLH of the cerebellar vermis may affect interpretation of results of a wide range of behavioral studies where sensory and motor function is involved in task performance.…”