Majczyński Henryk, Maleszak Katarzyna, Górska Teresa, Sławińska Urszula
Department of Neurophysiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, 3 Pasteura St., 02-093 Warsaw, Poland.
J Neurosci Methods. 2007 Jul 30;163(2):197-207. doi: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2007.02.023. Epub 2007 Mar 3.
Changes in locomotor movements induced by central and peripheral nerve injury or obtained as a result of pharmacological treatment are increasingly being investigated in rats. Several methods have been used to assess changes in the main locomotor indices, most of which are based on video recordings, usually with low time resolution, or on X-ray cinematographic recordings. Other methods are based on qualitative visual locomotor scoring systems like the BBB scale. We have analyzed locomotor indices in freely moving rats using two methods that can give quantitative results and which may be readily automated. One is based on detecting the onsets of swing and stance phases with contact electrodes (CE), while the second is based on recording the bursts of electromyographic activity (EMG) from the flexor and extensor muscles of each limb during the swing and stance phases, respectively. Besides the investigation of spontaneous locomotion in intact rats, our study also included an examination of locomotion on a ladder using EMG recording and analysis of locomotor disturbances following spinal cord hemisection, for which combined application of the two methods appeared to be useful. Overall, the EMG method appears to be more versatile than the CE method, although the use of both methods in parallel is recommended.
中枢和周围神经损伤引起的或药物治疗后出现的运动变化在大鼠中越来越受到研究。已经使用了几种方法来评估主要运动指标的变化，其中大多数基于视频记录，通常时间分辨率较低，或者基于X射线电影摄影记录。其他方法基于定性的视觉运动评分系统，如BBB量表。我们使用两种能够给出定量结果且易于自动化的方法分析了自由活动大鼠的运动指标。一种基于用接触电极（CE）检测摆动期和站立期的起始点，而另一种基于分别记录每个肢体在摆动期和站立期屈肌和伸肌的肌电活动（EMG）爆发。除了对完整大鼠的自发运动进行研究外，我们的研究还包括使用肌电图记录和分析脊髓半切术后的运动障碍来检查在梯子上的运动，两种方法的联合应用似乎对此很有用。总体而言，肌电图方法似乎比接触电极方法更通用，不过建议同时使用这两种方法。
