Locomotor Activity Testing
Objective: Assessment of locomotor activity as a measure of functional recovery following permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion stroke in rats
This is a Locomotor Activity Testing protocol using rat as the model organism. The procedure involves 6 procedural steps, 2 materials. Extracted from a 2013 paper published in Brain.
Model and subjects
rat • Sprague-Dawley • male • 12 months old
Study window
~3.1 week study window | ~37 hours hands-on
Core workflow
Surgical procedure - Permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion or sham operation • First progesterone injection - Intraperitoneal route • Second progesterone injection - Subcutaneous route
Primary readouts
- Locomotor activity
- Grip strength
- Sensory neglect
- Gait impairment
Key equipment and reagents
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Protocol Steps
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Surgical procedure - Permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion or sham operation
Male Sprague-Dawley rats (12 months old) underwent either permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion or sham surgical operations
Note: This is the stroke induction procedure
View evidence from paper
“We tested male Sprague-Dawley rats (12 months old) with permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion or sham operations”
First progesterone injection - Intraperitoneal route
Intraperitoneal injection of progesterone at specified dose (8, 16, or 32 mg/kg for dose-response study, or optimal dose for time-window study)
Note: Timing varies based on study design: 1 h post-occlusion for dose-response study; 3, 6, or 24 h post-stroke for time-window study
View evidence from paper
“animals received intraperitoneal injections of progesterone (8, 16 or 32 mg/kg) at 1 h post-occlusion, and subcutaneous injections at 6 h”
Second progesterone injection - Subcutaneous route
Subcutaneous injection of progesterone at 6 hours post-occlusion
Note: Route changes from intraperitoneal to subcutaneous
View evidence from paper
“subcutaneous injections at 6 h and then once every 24 h for 7 days”
Repeated progesterone injections - Subcutaneous route
Subcutaneous injections of progesterone once every 24 hours for 7 days total
Note: Continues after initial 6 h injection
View evidence from paper
“subcutaneous injections at 6 h and then once every 24 h for 7 days”
Behavioral testing - Locomotor activity assessment
Evaluation of locomotor activity as a measure of functional recovery following stroke
Note: Part of comprehensive behavioral assessment including grip strength, sensory neglect, gait impairment, motor coordination, and spatial navigation tests
View evidence from paper
“Behavioural recovery was evaluated at repeated intervals. Rats were killed at 22 days post-stroke and brains extracted for evaluation of infarct volume”
Brain extraction and infarct volume evaluation
Rats were euthanized and brains extracted for measurement of infarct volume
Note: Terminal procedure
View evidence from paper
“Rats were killed at 22 days post-stroke and brains extracted for evaluation of infarct volume”