Longitudinal assessment of skilled forelimb motor impairments in DJ-1 knockout rats.

ABSTRACT:

Background

DJ-1 knockout (DJ-1 KO) rats exhibit a moderate parkinsonian phenotype, with gross motor deficits and ca. 50% loss of midbrain dopaminergic neurons appearing around 6-8 months of age. Fine motor impairments are often observed in Parkinson's disease (PD), but skilled motor function in recently developed transgenic rat models of PD is not well characterized.

Objectives

To assess the longitudinal performance of DJ-1 KO rats on a skilled forelimb reaching task.

Methods

DJ-1 KO and wild-type (WT) rats were trained from 2 to 10 months of age on an isometric pullbar task designed to test forelimb strength and coordination. After 36 consecutive weeks of training (ca. 10 months old), task difficulty was then increased to challenge the motor capabilities of the DJ-1

SUBMITTER: Sanchez CA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8941633 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature