Applicability of the grip strength and automated von Frey tactile sensitivity tests in the mouse photothrombotic model of stroke.

In this study, we evaluated the applicability of forepaw grip strength and automated von Frey tactile sensitivity tests to assess forelimb dysfunction in mice following photothrombosis in the sensorimotor cortex, and compared them with two well-established tests, grid-walking and cylinder, for up to 21days after stroke. Our results indicate that the length of time required to conduct the two new tests is comparable to that of the grid-walking and cylinder tests, however the data from the new tests is obtained and ready for analysis upon completion of the testing session. In addition, our observations indicate that the automated von Frey test detected substantial and sustained deficit in the withdrawal threshold of the mice on all evaluation days after stroke, whereas the forepaw grip strength test was only marginally sensitive to document functional impairment. Our data demonstrate that the automated von Frey tactile sensitivity test is a time efficient and sensitive method which can be used together with other established tests to evaluate long-term functional outcome in the mouse photothrombotic stroke model.
PMID: 28893552 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Source: Behavioural Brain Research - September 8, 2017 Category: Neurology Authors: Alamri FF, Shoyaib AA, Biggers A, Jayaraman S, Guindon J, Karamyan VT Tags: Behav Brain Res Source Type: research