The parallel rod floor test: a measure of ataxia in mice

Abstract

The parallel rod floor test is a new model of ataxia in mice. It allows the simultaneous measurement of ataxia and locomotor activity. This protocol is designed for researchers examining ethanol-induced motor incoordination in mice, but it should be applicable to other sedative/hypnotic drugs and to testing cerebellar mutant mice or mice with engineered genetic defects. This protocol takes 3 d, with the time per day depending on how many animals are tested. The test allows researchers to quantify differences in motor coordination among genotypes of mice that may differ in locomotor activity. Unlike many other methods for assessing incoordination, the parallel rod floor test yields similar patterns of genetic sensitivity across a range of variant forms of the apparatus.

Profiling changes in gait dynamics resulting from progressive 1‐methyl‐4‐phenyl‐1,2,3,6‐tetrahydropyridine‐induced nigrostriatal lesioning

“…When the mouse paw slips through the parallel rods and contacts the metal plate, a circuit is closed and a foot fault recorded by the computer. The sensitivity of the metal plate was designed such that slips of the tail or feces through the rods are not recorded (Kamens and Crabbe, 2007). When a mouse passes in front of a photo beam, the beam breaks and is recorded as a horizontal movement by the computer.…”

“…The parallel rod activity chamber (PRAC), as previously characterized by Kamens and Crabbe (2007), was modified from the original apparatus with the addition of photo beams to record locomotor activity. When the mouse paw slips through the parallel rods and contacts the metal plate, a circuit is closed and a foot fault recorded by the computer.…”

The Chromatin-binding Protein HMGN1 Regulates the Expression of Methyl CpG-binding Protein 2 (MECP2) and Affects the Behavior of Mice

“…Parallel Bar Task-Motor coordination, ataxia, and balance were assessed using the Parallel Bar apparatus (Cleversys, Reston, VA) adapted from Kamens and Crabbe (40). The apparatus consists of a closed transparent Plexiglas box (15 cm ϫ 15 cm ϫ 20 cm 2 ) with a floor made of a series of parallel stainless steel bars with a 1.6-mm diameter and an interbar spacing of 6 mm between the edges of the bars.…”

“…We used the parallel bar task (40) to assess for motor coordination, ataxia, and balance. In this test the extent of coordination problems were quantified by the number of foot slips per distance traveled (see "Experimental Procedures" for details).…”

Malathion Neurotoxic Effects on Dopaminergic System in Mice: Role of Inflammation

“…Open field and parallel rod floor tests were used to assess exploratory behavior, anxiety, locomotor activity and motor incoordination [22].…”