Source Paper
Functional assessments in the rodent stroke model
Krystal L Schaar, Miranda M Brenneman, Sean I Savitz
Experimental & Translational Stroke Medicine • 2010
View Abstract
Abstract Stroke is a common cause of permanent disability accompanied by devastating impairments for which there is a pressing need for effective treatment. Motor, sensory and cognitive deficits are common following stroke, yet treatment is limited. Along with histological measures, functional outcome in animal models has provided valuable insight to the biological basis and potential rehabilitation efforts of experimental stroke. Developing and using tests that have the ability to identify behavioral deficits is essential to expanding the development of translational therapies. The present aim of this paper is to review many of the current behavioral tests that assess functional outcome after stoke in rodent models. While there is no perfect test, there are many assessments that are sensitive to detecting the array of impairments, from global to modality specific, after stroke.
Forelimb Placing Test
Objective: Assessment of forelimb function and placing deficits in rodent stroke models
This is a Forelimb Placing Test protocol using Rodent (rat or mouse) as the model organism. The procedure involves 3 procedural steps, 1 equipment items. Extracted from a 2010 paper published in Experimental & Translational Stroke Medicine.
Model and subjects
Rodent (rat or mouse) • Not specified • unknown • Not specified • Not specified
Study window
~5 minutes hands-on
Core workflow
Animal Preparation • Conduct Forelimb Placing Test • Record Observations
Primary readouts
- Forelimb placing function
- Presence and severity of placing deficits
- Asymmetries in forelimb function between contralateral and ipsilateral sides
- Detection of neurological impairments following stroke
Key equipment and reagents
Verified items
0
Direct vendor links
0
Use this page as an execution guide, then fall back to the source paper whenever you need exact exclusions, dosing details, or assay-specific caveats.
Confirm first
- Verify the animal model, intervention setup, and collection timepoints against the source paper.
- Check that every direct vendor link matches the exact specification your lab plans to run.
Use the page like this
- Work through the protocol steps in order and use the inline vendor chips only when you need to source or verify an item.
- Jump to Experimental Context for readouts, data shape, and analysis flow before planning downstream analysis.
Protocol Steps
Start here. The step list is optimized for running the experiment, with direct vendor links available inline when you need to source a cited item.
Animal Preparation
Prepare rodent for testing following stroke induction via unilateral MCAO
Note: Testing should be performed after stroke has been induced to assess contralateral neurological deficits
View evidence from paper
“Unilateral middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) in both humans and rodents induces contralateral neurological deficits”
Conduct Forelimb Placing Test
Perform the forelimb placing test to evaluate forelimb function and placing deficits
Note: No pre-training is required for this test. The test involves 10 trials per session.
View evidence from paper
“Forelimb Placing None 10 trials 5 minutes”
Record Observations
Document forelimb placing responses and any deficits observed during the test
Note: Assess for asymmetries in forelimb placing function between contralateral and ipsilateral sides
View evidence from paper
“Unilateral brain damage results in deficits of symmetry, therefore it is useful to rely on tests that have the ability to detect asymmetries”