Modeled Behavioral Evaluation of the Neuropathic Pain with Social Defect in Rats: A Preliminary Methodology Evaluation

Abstract

BackgroundSocial defect and chronic pain are 2 major health problems and recent data has demonstrated that they generally exist concurrently. However, a powerful evaluation model on the behavioral change is lacking. This study was designed to evaluate the behavioral curves using a statistically modeled trajectory analysis in neuropathic animals with or without social defect exposure.Material/MethodsAfter approval by the institutional animal care committee, Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized into different interventional groups with 15 animals each. Sprague-Dawley rats underwent spared nerve injury (SNI) to establish the neuropathic pain model, of which the mechanical withdrawal threshold was measured using von Frey filaments for a period of 105 days. Otherwise, a modified version of the resident (Long-Evans rats)-intruder paradigm was applied to produce a social defect animal model through the elevated plus maze (EPM). After raw data collection, we modeled them into a powerful statistical effects analysis to build up the behavioral change tendency in single SNI or in combined SNI and social defect animals.ResultsThe random and fixed effects analyses of the pain behavior after SNI were successfully modeled and demonstrated a gradient recovery tendency during the 15-week post-injury observational period. Correspondingly, SNI rats exhibited increased social defected symptoms, as indicated by the increased anxiety-like behavior in the EPM test. In addition, continuous social defect stress for 5 days or 10 days, respectively, partially attenuated and exacerbated SNI-induced allodynia in both random and fixed effects models. Five days but not 10 days social defect ameliorated SNI-associated anxiety-like behavior.ConclusionsThese data suggest that statistically powerful analysis of nerve injury-induced neuropathic pain is a highly sensitive model to determine the behavioral change tendency and distinguish them among behavior curves with or without social defect, and the combination of SNI with resident-intruder paradigm may be a suitable model for behavior evaluation of neuropathic pain with social defect.

Targeting Oxidative Stress Reduction and Inhibition of HDAC1, MECP2, and NF-kB Pathways in Rats With Experimentally Induced Hyperglycemia by Administration of Thymus marshallianus Willd. Extracts

“…EPM has been validated to assess the anxiety-like behavior in rats, based on the natural aversion of rodents for open spaces of the elevated maze ( Wang et al, 2014 ). Thus, higher travelled distance, more entries and more time spent in the open arms of the EPM test apparatus, during a 5 min test session, is indicative of low anxiety-like behavior ( Walf and Frye, 2007 ).…”

“…TMW administration increased the central travelled distance (p<0.01), the number of entries (p<0.05), and the central time spent (p< 0.05), in the open filed arena as compared to the TMC group. EPM has been validated to assess the anxiety-like behavior in rats, based on the natural aversion of rodents for open spaces of the elevated maze (Wang et al, 2014). Thus, higher travelled distance, more entries and more time spent in the open arms of the EPM test apparatus, during a 5 min test session, is indicative of low anxiety-like behavior (Walf and Frye, 2007).…”

The Effects of Intellectual, Physical, and Social Activity on Further Prognosis in Mild Cognitive Impairment

“…These observations are also supported to some extent by studies on animal models. It seems that physical activity has an excitatory effect on the neurotrophic factors [ 28 – 30 ].…”

Threshold effect of G9a/Glp on peripheral nerve injury-induced hypersensitivity

“…Pain threshold was assessed using the von Frey filaments (Stoelting Co., Wood Dale, IL) as described previously. 12 In brief, the filaments were applied to the central surface of the hind paw plantar for a maximal 10 s to detect the stimulus threshold via triggering a withdrawal reaction. The stimulation was initiated from the weakest filament (0.407 g).…”