Measurement of Reaching Kinematics and Prehensile Dexterity in Nonhuman Primates

Abstract

A modified "Klüver" or dexterity board was developed to assess fine control of hand and digit movements by nonhuman primates during the acquisition of small food pellets from wells of different diameter. The primary advantages of the new device over those used previously include standardized positioning of target food pellets and controlled testing of each hand without the need for restraints, thereby allowing the monkey to move freely about the cage. Three-dimensional video analysis of hand motion was used to provide measures of reaching accuracy and grip aperture, as well as temporal measures of reach duration and food-pellet manipulation. We also present a validated performance score based on these measures, which serves as an indicator of successful food-pellet retrieval. Tests in three monkeys show that the performance score is an effective measure with which to study fine motor control associated with learning and handedness. We also show that the device and performance scores are effective for differentiating the effects of localized injury to motor areas of the cerebral cortex.

Behavioral Assessment of Manual Dexterity in Non-Human Primates

“…The present behavioral tests, used since several years in our laboratory to quantify manual dexterity, are to some extent comparable to other tests of manual dexterity recently reported in the literature [24][25][26][27][28] . There is however a crucial need to standardize tests across different laboratories (for better comparison), which is a tentative goal of the present report.…”

Long-Term Gliosis and Molecular Changes in the Cervical Spinal Cord of the Rhesus Monkey after Traumatic Brain Injury

“…In this model, the primary motor cortex and lateral premotor cortex controlling the preferred arm of the animal were specifically lesioned by aspiration=coagulation, as performed in human neurosurgery for the selective removal of tumors, epileptogenic foci, and arteriovenous malformations. Following resection, the animals recovered most of their limb functions during the recovery period (Darling et al, 2006;Pizzimenti et al, 2007). Our results demonstrated that microglia activation, as indicated by positive immunoreactivity to a phagocytic marker, CD68, was observed not only at the site of injury but also in the cervical spinal cord for up to 12 months after the injury .…”

“…The preparation and procedure of animal surgery were performed as previously described (Darling et al, 2006;Morecraft et al, 2001Morecraft et al, , 2002Morecraft et al, , 2004Morecraft et al, , 2007Nagamoto-Combs et al, 2007;Pizzimenti et al, 2007). Briefly, each animal was prepared for surgery by an initial administration of ketamine hydrochloride (10 mg=kg) and kept anesthetized during cortical exposure with a continuous administration of isofluorane (1-1.5% with surgical grade air=oxygen mixture) with the assistance of a mechanical respirator.…”

“…The equation used to compute the performance score is given in equation 2. In the second task (modified dexterity board -mDB), the monkey removed small food pellets from a Plexiglas plate (with a small dimple to hold the pellet in place) and from 10-mm deep tapered wells that ranged from 10-25 mm in diameter routed into the plate (Pizzimenti et al, 2007). Performance in calibrated threedimensional space was recorded on four video cameras, permitting measurements of reach duration and accuracy (fingertip position relative to pellet position), grip aperture (distance between tips of index and thumb), manipulation duration, and number of lost digit contacts with the pellet during manipulation.…”

“…Performance in calibrated threedimensional space was recorded on four video cameras, permitting measurements of reach duration and accuracy (fingertip position relative to pellet position), grip aperture (distance between tips of index and thumb), manipulation duration, and number of lost digit contacts with the pellet during manipulation. These were used to compute an overall performance score using an equation similar to the one used to quantify mMAP performance on each trial (Pizzimenti et al, 2007). Performances were also qualitatively assessed to determine whether monkeys used a similar strategy to perform the tasks during post-lesion trials to strategies used prior to the lesion.…”