Clinical evidence indicates that the nicotinic receptor agonist varenicline improves axial symptoms in patients with spinocerebellar ataxia type 3, but pharmacological evidence in an animal model of olivocerebellar degeneration has not been demonstrated. This study investigated whether varenicline and nicotine were efficacious for attenuating ataxia in rats induced by chemical destruction of the olivocerebellar pathway. Rats were trained to maintain their balance on a rotating rod and walk across a stationary beam; rod and beam performance, locomotor activity, and gait were assessed prior to and after administration of the neurotoxin 3-acetylpyridine (3-AP). The administration of 3-AP led to an 85% loss of neurons in the inferior olive at one week after administration without evidence of recovery over the following 4 weeks. The lesion was accompanied by a 72% decrease in rotorod activity, a 3.1-fold increase in the time required to traverse a stationary beam, a 19% decrease in velocity and 31% decrease in distance moved in the open field, and alterations in both forepaw and hindpaw gait parameters, with a 19% increase in hindpaw stride width. The daily administration of nicotine (0.33 mg free base/kg) improved rotorod performance by 50%, an effect apparent following the first week of administration, and which did not improve further over time. Nicotine also normalized the increased hindpaw stride width induced by the lesion. The ability of nicotine to alleviate both rotorod and gait deficits induced by 3-AP were prevented by the administration of the nicotinic antagonist mecamylamine (0.8 mg free base/kg) prior to the daily administration of nicotine. The effects of varenicline were dose-related and doses of 1.0 and 3.0 mg free base/kg daily improved rotorod performance by approximately 50% following the first week of administration. Further, varenicline did not alter the time required for animals to traverse the stationary beam, but did improve the ability of rats to maintain their balance on the beam by increasing lateral tail movements following 3 weeks of administration at doses of 0.3 and 1.0 mg free base/kg daily. Further, doses of nicotine and varenicline that improved the impaired balance and gait did not affect any measure of locomotor activity in the open field. Results provide evidence that nicotinic agonists are of benefit for alleviating some of the behavioral deficits in olivocerebellar ataxia and warrant further studies to elucidate the specific mechanism(s) involved.
Deviations from ‘normal’ locomotion exhibited by humans and laboratory animals may be determined using automated systems that capture both temporal and spatial gait parameters. Although many measures generated by these systems are unrelated and independent, some may be related and dependent, representing redundant assessments of function. To investigate this possibility, a treadmill-based system was used to capture gait parameters from normal and ataxic rats, and a multivariate analysis was conducted to determine deviations from normal. Rats were trained on the treadmill at two speeds, and gait parameters were generated prior to and following lesions of the olivocerebellar pathway. Control (non-lesioned) animals exhibited stable hindlimb gait parameters across assessments at each speed. Lesioned animals exhibited alterations in multiple hindlimb gait parameters, characterized by significant increases in stride frequency, braking duration, stance width, step angle, and paw angle and decreases in stride, stance, swing and propulsion durations, stride length and paw area. A principal component analysis of initial hindlimb measures indicated 3 uncorrelated factors mediating performance, termed rhythmicity, thrust and contact. Deviation in the performance of each animal from the group mean was determined for each factor and values summed to yield the Cumulative Gait Index (CGI), a single value reflecting variation within the group. The CGI for lesioned animals increased 2.3-fold relative to unlesioned animals. This study characterizes gait alterations in laboratory rats rendered ataxic by destruction of the climbing fiber pathway innervating Purkinje cells and demonstrates that a single index can be used to describe overall gait impairments.
Studies have demonstrated that administration of the neuronal nicotinic receptor agonist varenicline to rats with olivocerebellar lesions attenuates balance deficits on a rotorod and balance beam, but the effects of this drug on gait deficits have not been investigated. To accomplish this, male Sprague-Dawley rats were trained to walk on a motorized treadmill at 25 and 35 cm/s and baseline performance determined; both temporal and spatial gait parameters were analyzed. A principal component analysis (PCA) was used to identify the key components of gait, and the cumulative gait index (CGI) was calculated, representing deviations from prototypical gait patterns. Subsequently, animals either remained as non-lesioned controls or received injections of 3-acetylpyridine (3-AP)/nicotinamide to destroy the climbing fibers innervating Purkinje cells. The gait of the non-lesioned group was assessed weekly to monitor changes in the normal population, while the gait of the lesioned group was assessed 1 week following 3-AP administration, and weekly following the daily administration of saline or varenicline (0.3, 1.0, or 3.0 mg free base/kg) for 2 weeks. Non-lesioned animals exhibited a 60–70% increased CGI over time due to increases in temporal gait measures, whereas lesioned animals exhibited a nearly 3-fold increased CGI as a consequence of increases in spatial measures. Following 2 weeks of treatment with the highest dose of varenicline (3.0 mg free base/kg), the swing duration of lesioned animals normalized, and stride duration, stride length and step angle in this population did not differ from the non-lesioned population. Thus, varenicline enabled animals to compensate for their impairments and rectify the timing of the gait cycle.
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