A Behavioral Characterization on the Motor and Emotional Deficits of the 6-OHDA Parkinson Disease Rat Model
-
1
University of Minho, Life and Health Sciences Institute (ICVS), School of Health Sciences, Portugal
-
2
University of Beira Interior, Research Center in Health Sciences- CICS, Portugal
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative condition affecting the dopaminergic system, causing the emergence of motor and non-motor symptoms that largely affect the patients’ life-quality. The development of animal models mimicking this condition provided tools to improve our knowledge of the disease, and to test the effectiveness of new therapies. One of the most widely used models is the unilaterally 6-OHDA-lesioned rat model, characterized by a biased rotatory behavior after apomorphine/methamphetamine challenge. Although proven useful for assessment of functional recovery after therapy, information on other motor and emotional/cognitive alterations on the afflicted individuals, mimicking other features of parkinsonian patients, is lacking. Therefore, one objective of the present work was to further characterize the balance and motor strength of lesioned rats using the rotorod test and pursue a more thorough behavioral characterization on emotional and cognitive alterations. We believe that these findings can be highly relevant for the validity of this model in PD regenerative medicine.
Wistar-Han rats (10 weeks old) were unilaterally injected with 6-OHDA (lesioned group, n=7) or saline (sham group, n=7) in the medial forebrain bundle (coordinates related to bregma, AP= -4,4mm; ML= -1,0mm; DV= - 7,8mm). An additional control group (n=7), which did not undergo surgical procedure, was also used. Behavioral assessment was done using: rotorod (3rd and 5th week), elevated plus maze (EPM, 5th week), Morris water maze (MWM, 6th week), open field (OF, 7th week), forced swimming test (FST, 8th week) and rotameter (apomorphine-derived rotatory behavior assessment, 8th and 9th week). Thyrosine hydroxylase immunohistochemistry was performed to assess the effectiveness of the lesion.
Lesioned animals displaying apomorphine induced rotatory behavior had severe dopaminergic degeneration. In this group of animals, data from the rotorod test showed a clear motor impairment, further supported by EPM, MWM and OF results. Cognitive functions were not affected, but OF and FST results indicate a possible anxious and depressive-like behavior.
In conclusion, we propose that the applicability of this model may be extended beyond the standard motor evaluation. If the anxious and depressive-like states are confirmed, it may also be used as a tool to assess the therapeutic action of novel drugs on the emotional profile of the disease.
Conference:
11th Meeting of the Portuguese Society for Neuroscience, Braga, Portugal, 4 Jun - 6 Jun, 2009.
Presentation Type:
Poster Presentation
Topic:
Neurodegenerative Disorders
Citation:
Carvalho
MM,
Campos
F,
Almeida
H,
Mesquita
AR,
Bessa
JM,
Cerqueira
J,
Baltazar
G,
Almeida
A,
Sousa
N and
Salgado
AJ
(2009). A Behavioral Characterization on the Motor and Emotional Deficits of the 6-OHDA Parkinson Disease Rat Model.
Front. Neurosci.
Conference Abstract:
11th Meeting of the Portuguese Society for Neuroscience.
doi: 10.3389/conf.neuro.01.2009.11.089
Copyright:
The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers.
They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters.
The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated.
Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed.
For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions.
Received:
10 Aug 2009;
Published Online:
10 Aug 2009.
*
Correspondence:
M. M Carvalho, University of Minho, Life and Health Sciences Institute (ICVS), School of Health Sciences, Braga, Portugal, miguelcarvalho@ecsaude.uminho.pt