Hudson J L, Levin D R, Hoffer B J
Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver 80262.
Cell Transplant. 1993 Nov-Dec;2(6):507-14. doi: 10.1177/096368979300200608.
Unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine lesions of the nigrostriatal pathway in rats result in a massive dopamine (DA) denervation of the ipsilateral striatum. Such animals have proven extremely useful as a model for the study of Parkinson's disease, an idiopathic neurodegenerative disorder of humans. Extensive unilateral DA disruption leaves the rat relatively normal in motor behavior; however, the extent of the lesion can be documented by drug-induced rotational behavior. When given an injection of a dopamine agonist, such as apomorphine or D-amphetamine, a lesioned animal will manifest rotational behavior; the number of turns correlates with the degree of unilateral denervation. In order to identify, for various studies, large numbers of animals with specific levels of denervation, the necessity of an automated and reliable rotational counting system (rotometer) becomes obvious. We have developed such a device that allows up to 16 rats to be tested concurrently with one inexpensive computer. This system is more reliable than, and certainly preferable to, more tedious methods such as videotaping and subsequent manual analysis or various other mechanical systems. Plexiglass, formed into large bowls, serve as the rotometer chambers. We have designed a simple, inexpensive, and accurate counting head that can be manufactured from readily available parts and that is very sturdy and reliable. This, together with a thoracic harness, completes the rotometer assembly. The rotational data, from up to 16 separate channels, is collected by a single-chip microprocessor and sent on a serial line to an IBM-type or MacIntosh host computer. There, it is graphically displayed on line and subsequently saved to disk with a novel acquisition program.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
大鼠黑质纹状体通路的单侧6-羟基多巴胺损伤会导致同侧纹状体大量多巴胺（DA）去神经支配。这类动物已被证明是研究帕金森病（一种人类特发性神经退行性疾病）的极为有用的模型。广泛的单侧DA破坏使大鼠在运动行为上相对正常；然而，损伤程度可通过药物诱导的旋转行为来记录。给损伤动物注射多巴胺激动剂，如阿扑吗啡或D-苯丙胺时，动物会表现出旋转行为；旋转次数与单侧去神经支配程度相关。为了在各种研究中识别出大量具有特定去神经支配水平的动物，自动化且可靠的旋转计数系统（旋转计）的必要性就变得很明显了。我们开发了这样一种设备，它能用一台价格低廉的计算机同时对多达16只大鼠进行测试。该系统比录像及后续人工分析等更繁琐的方法或其他各种机械系统更可靠，当然也更可取。由有机玻璃制成的大碗用作旋转计室。我们设计了一种简单、廉价且精确的计数头，它可以用现成的部件制造，非常坚固可靠。这与胸带一起构成了旋转计组件。来自多达16个独立通道的旋转数据由单片机微处理器收集，并通过串行线路发送到IBM型或麦金塔主机计算机。在那里，数据在线以图形方式显示，并随后通过一个新颖的采集程序保存到磁盘上。（摘要截短为250字）
