Journal of neuroscience methods
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J. Neurosci. Methods · Jun 2005
The Webcam system: a simple, automated, computer-based video system for quantitative measurement of movement in nonhuman primates.
Investigations using models of neurologic disease frequently involve quantifying animal motor activity. We developed a simple method for measuring motor activity using a computer-based video system (the Webcam system) consisting of an inexpensive video camera connected to a personal computer running customized software. Images of the animals are captured at half-second intervals and movement is quantified as the number of pixel changes between consecutive images. ⋯ Webcam activity decreased after the monkeys were rendered parkinsonian by treatment with 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP), but the correlations with the other measures of motor activity were maintained. Webcam activity also correlated with clinical ratings of parkinsonism. These results indicate that the Webcam system is reliable under both untreated and experimental conditions and is an excellent method for quantifying motor activity in animals.
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J. Neurosci. Methods · Jun 2005
Comparative StudyA model of incisional pain: the effects of dermal tail incision on pain behaviours of Sprague Dawley rats.
Hyperalgesia, a component of post-operative pain, is an enhanced responsiveness to painful challenges after the tissue damage caused by an incision. It is important to understand the mechanisms involved in the development of incisional pain, in order to treat the condition appropriately. The aim of this study was to develop a model of post-operative pain using the rat's tail. ⋯ Secondary mechanical hyperalgesia persisted for 1 day after the 10 mm incisions (P = 0.0013) and for 2 days after the 20 mm incisions (P = 0.0028). Thermal hyperalgesia was not elicited. This model is suitable to examine the mechanisms involved in post-operative pain.
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J. Neurosci. Methods · Jun 2005
Non-invasive in vivo infrared laser spectroscopy to analyse endogenous oxy-haemoglobin, deoxy-haemoglobin, and blood volume in the rat CNS.
Oxy-haemoglobin (HbO2) and deoxy-haemoglobin (Hb) are chromophores present in biological tissues. Near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is a non-invasive methodology based on the low extinction coefficient of tissue in the near infrared region. NIRS can be used to measure changes in the concentration of these chromophores, i.e., haemoglobin, in muscular tissue. ⋯ This has been performed by means of prototype instrumentation based on optic fibre probes placed in contact with the head of anaesthetised rats held in a stereotaxic frame. A preliminary test of the instrument has been performed on human muscle, i.e., lateral gastrocnemius, in order to evaluate the ability of the instrument to detect oxygenation changes. Afterwards, the effects of pharmacological treatments, such as systemic amphetamine and nicotine treatments on the CNS have been detected.
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J. Neurosci. Methods · Jun 2005
Comparative StudySoleus and vastus medialis H-reflexes: similarities and differences while standing or lying during varied knee flexion angles.
The H-reflex may be a useful measure to examine the lower extremity muscles activation and inhibition following an injury. Recording the vastus medialis H-reflex amplitudes in healthy subjects while standing or lying during varied knee flexion angles may establish a reference for comparison for patients with ACL injury. Vastus medialis and soleus H-reflexes were recorded from 14 healthy subjects while lying and standing during 0, 30, 45, and 60 degrees knee flexion. ⋯ Data from H/M ratio follow the same pattern of H-amplitude. Recording the vastus medialis H-reflex amplitude during standing and knee flexion may be a reflective of the knee function. It is more specific than the soleus H-reflex because it reflects the changes in the excitability of the quadriceps motoneurons acting directly around the knee joint.
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J. Neurosci. Methods · Jun 2005
Pharmacological evaluation of the selective spinal nerve ligation model of neuropathic pain in the rat.
Rodent models of neuropathic pain are used to investigate the underlying mechanisms of pain associated with damage to peripheral nerves and to evaluate the efficacy of novel compounds. However, few models have been adequately characterized and the validity of many models remains unclear. The present experiment examined the activity of known anti-allodynic compounds in the L5 spinal nerve ligation (SNL) model of peripheral mononeuropathy in the rat, a modified version of the L5/L6 SNL model [S. ⋯ Compared to sham-operated control animals, L5 SNL animals displayed significant tactile allodynia in the ipsilateral hindpaw that was completely reversed by treatment with gabapentin, morphine, and WIN55,212-2, partially reversed by amitriptyline and fluoxetine, and unaffected by U-50,488H or indomethacin. The robust effects of the non-selective cannabinoid receptor agonist WIN55,212-2 and morphine support reports in the literature that systemic cannabinoid receptor agonists and opioids are active in neuropathic pain. These results suggest that the L5 SNL model can be utilized to determine the anti-allodynic activity of novel compounds.