Goddard Matthew, Zheng Yiwen, Darlington Cynthia L, Smith Paul F
Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Medical Sciences, University of Otago , Dunedin, New Zealand.
Behav Neurosci. 2008 Apr;122(2):448-59. doi: 10.1037/0735-7044.122.2.448.
Despite many studies of the postural and ocular reflex deficits caused by chronic bilateral vestibular loss in rats and guinea pigs, there have been few systematic studies of the effects of vestibular loss on locomotor activity and exploratory behavior over a period of several months following the lesion. In this study, the authors quantified locomotor and exploratory behavior in an open field maze at 3 weeks, 3 months, and 5 months following bilateral vestibular loss in rats. As a result of bilateral surgical vestibular lesions, rats exhibited a persistent increase in locomotor velocity, duration, and distance traveled, with a marked tendency for increased inner field activity and reduced thigmotaxis. Rats without balance-sense were also found to spend less time exploring the environment, as indicated by a decreased frequency and duration of wall-supported rearings. These results suggest that sudden and complete loss of balance-sense has persistent and complex effects on the way that rats navigate through and explore the environment.
尽管已经对大鼠和豚鼠慢性双侧前庭丧失所导致的姿势和眼反射缺陷进行了许多研究，但对于前庭丧失在损伤后的几个月时间里对运动活动和探索行为的影响，却鲜有系统研究。在本研究中，作者对大鼠双侧前庭丧失后3周、3个月和5个月时在旷场迷宫中的运动和探索行为进行了量化。由于双侧手术造成前庭损伤，大鼠的运动速度、时长和行进距离持续增加，在内场活动增加和趋触性降低方面有显著趋势。还发现没有平衡感的大鼠用于探索环境的时间减少，表现为靠墙支撑站立的频率和时长降低。这些结果表明，平衡感的突然完全丧失会对大鼠在环境中的导航和探索方式产生持续且复杂的影响。
