The Rotarod Test: An Evaluation of Its Effectiveness in Assessing Motor Deficits Following Traumatic Brain Injury

• DOI: 10.1089/neu.1994.11.187
• Publication Date: 2009-06-11T13:46:32Z
• Authors: ROBERT J. HAMM; BRIAN R. PIKE; DIANNE M. O'DELL; BRUCE G. LYETH; LARRY W. JENKINS
• Keywords: Rotarod performance test

The purpose of the present experiment was to examine effectiveness a modified rotarod test in detecting motor deficits following mild and moderate central fluid percussion brain injury. In addition, this investigation compared performance task with two other commonly used measures function after injury (beam-balance beam-walking latencies). Rats were either injured (n = 14) or 8) level surgically prepared but not 8). All rats assessed on all tasks for 5 days their respective treatments. Results revealed that both levels produced significant ability animals perform task. Performance beam-balance significantly impaired at level. It only detected performance. This result demonstrated sensitive index injury-induced dysfunction even A power analysis three indicated statistically group differences could be obtained much smaller sample sizes than tasks. rotarod, beam-walk, evaluated by multivariate stepdown (multiple variance followed univariate analyses covariance). aspects impairment are latency. These findings suggest tasks, is more efficient assessing