Haloperidol‐induced catalepsy as an animal model for parkinsonism: A systematic review of experimental studies

Abstract

Several useful animal models for parkinsonism have been developed so far. Haloperidol‐induced catalepsy is often used as a rodent model for the study of motor impairments observed in Parkinson's disease and related disorders and for the screening of potential antiparkinsonian compounds. The objective of this systematic review is to identify publications that used the haloperidol‐induced catalepsy model for parkinsonism and to explore the methodological characteristics and the main questions addressed in these studies. A careful systematic search of the literature was carried out by accessing articles in three different databases: Web of Science, PubMed and SCOPUS. The selection and inclusion of studies were performed based on the abstract and, subsequently, on full‐text analysis. Data extraction included the objective of the study, study design and outcome of interest. Two hundred and fifty‐five articles were included in the review. Publication years ranged from 1981 to 2020. Most studies used the model to explore the effects of potential treatments for parkinsonism. Although the methodological characteristics used are quite varied, most studies used Wistar rats as experimental subjects. The most frequent dose of haloperidol used was 1.0 mg/kg, and the horizontal bar test was the most used to assess catalepsy. The data presented here provide a framework for an evidence‐based approach to the design of preclinical research on parkinsonism using the haloperidol‐induced catalepsy model. This model has been used routinely and successfully and is likely to continue to play a critical role in the ongoing search for the next generation of therapeutic interventions for parkinsonism.

Investigation of Neuroprotective and Antiparkinson’s Activity of Citrullus colocynthis Fruit

“…By interacting with catecholamine storage intracellularly, haloperidol creates a pharmacological model of Parkinsonism, leading in dopamine depletion in nerve terminals. 37 Increased frequency of VCM, OB and TP was observed in rats treated with haloperidol. Treatment with AECC and EECC at doses of 200 and 400 mg/kg significantly inhibited the haloperidol-induced VCM, OB and TP.…”

Effects of Immediate Aversive Stimulation on Haloperidol-Induced Catalepsy in Rats

“…The vehicle-treated group did not exhibit catalepsy over time, which is in agreement with evidence in the literature ( Colombo et al, 2013 ; Barroca et al, 2019 ; Sita et al, 2020 ), and attests that catalepsy is not predominant in the behavioral repertoire of rats even after multiple exposures to the test. Since catalepsy was successfully achieved with haloperidol 1 mg/kg for the entire period of testing, and this dose is widely used in the literature ( Waku et al, 2021 ), we considered haloperidol 1 mg/kg-induced catalepsy sufficient to assess the effects of aversive stimuli for the following experiments.…”

“…The control group received an equivalent volume of physiological saline containing 2% Tween 80 (vehicle). The drug doses were based on previous studies ( Colombo et al, 2013 ; Barroca et al, 2019 ; Waku et al, 2021 ).…”

“…The degree of catalepsy is commonly evaluated by the catalepsy bar test, which quantifies the time it takes for the animal to correct an externally imposed posture ( Sanberg et al, 1988 ; Melo et al, 2010 ; Colombo et al, 2013 ; Barroca et al, 2019 ). Given the simplicity and ease of use of the test, haloperidol-induced catalepsy often serves as a useful animal model for the study of parkinsonism and screening of potential antiparkinsonian compounds ( Waku et al, 2021 ).…”

Intravenous haloperidol and cocaine alter the distribution of T CD4+ and B lymphocytes and NKT cells in rats

“…Haloperidol is a potent neuroleptic drug frequently used to treat psychotic episodes in humans [1,2]. It is a non-specific D2 dopamine (DA) receptor antagonist that induces strong behavioral effects, including reduced psychomotor activity and catalepsy [3][4][5]. Haloperidol can affect neurocognitive performance [6,7] and the immune system [1,[8][9][10][11].…”