The isometric pull task: A novel automated method for quantifying forelimb force generation in rats

Hays, Seth A.; Khodaparast, Navid; Sloan, Andrew M.; Hulsey, Daniel R.; Pantoja, Maritza; Ruiz, Andrea; Kilgard, Michael P.; Rennaker, Robert L.

doi:10.1016/j.jneumeth.2012.11.007

Cited by 53 publications

(76 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…Shaping procedures were similar to those previously described. 13,14 Animals were trained to pull on the handle with 120g of force, and single reward pellets were dispensed following successful trials (45 mg dustless precision pellet, BioServ, Frenchtown, NJ). If rats did not receive 50 pellets per day, they were given 10 g of additional pellets after daily training sessions were completed.…”

Section: Behavioral Trainingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…1). 13,14 Training continued until each animal achieved a performance of 5 consecutive days in which average success rate exceeded 85%. Prior to injury, the mean success rate of all rats before injury was 92 -0.8% and 92 -0.6% in the VNS + Rehab and the Rehab groups, respectively ( Fig.…”

Section: Rats Were Trained On the Isometric Pull Taskmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…13,14 After training, rats received a controlledcortical impact (CCI) lesion to model TBI. Animals were returned to training one week after the lesion, and then received 5 weeks of rehabilitative training during which VNS was delivered paired with successful trials.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Vagus Nerve Stimulation Delivered with Motor Training Enhances Recovery of Function after Traumatic Brain Injury

Pruitt

Schmid

Kim

et al. 2016

Journal of Neurotrauma

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119

127

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Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is one of the largest health problems in the United States, and affects nearly 2 million people every year. The effects of TBI, including weakness and loss of coordination, can be debilitating and last years after the initial injury. Recovery of motor function is often incomplete. We have developed a method using electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve paired with forelimb use by which we have demonstrated enhanced recovery from ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke. Here we have tested the hypothesis that vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) paired with physical rehabilitation could enhance functional recovery after TBI. We trained rats to pull on a handle to receive a food reward. Following training, they received a controlled-cortical impact (CCI) in the forelimb area of motor cortex opposite the trained forelimb, and were then randomized into two treatment groups. One group of animals received VNS paired with rehabilitative therapy, whereas another group received rehabilitative therapy without VNS. Following CCI, volitional forelimb strength and task success rate in all animals were significantly reduced. VNS paired with rehabilitative therapy over a period of 5 weeks significantly increased recovery of both forelimb strength and success rate on the isometric pull task compared with rehabilitative training without VNS. No significant improvement was observed in the Rehab group. Our findings indicate that VNS paired with rehabilitative therapy enhances functional motor recovery after TBI.

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Section: Behavioral Trainingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Rats Were Trained On the Isometric Pull Taskmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Vagus Nerve Stimulation Delivered with Motor Training Enhances Recovery of Function after Traumatic Brain Injury

Pruitt

Schmid

Kim

et al. 2016

Journal of Neurotrauma

Self Cite

119

127

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…10 They trained rats to pull on an isometric bar attached to a force transducer; if the rat exceeded a target force, it received a pellet food reward. An experimenter progressed the rats to higher target force levels in six predefined stages, such as, for example, being able to obtain 30 pellets in a 30 min training session.…”

Section: Comparison With Other Assessments Of Forelimb Force Productionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…9 ) There is, therefore, a mismatch between what is thought to be important clinically in cervical SCI and what is typically measured in studies of rodent models of cervical SCI. Hays and colleagues 10 recently began to address this mismatch in the context of a rat model of stroke. They trained rats to reach for a handle attached to a force transducer and pull it isometrically to reach a predetermined force level in order to receive a food reward.…”

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confidence: 99%

Robotic Rehabilitator of the Rodent Upper Extremity: A System and Method for Assessing and Training Forelimb Force Production after Neurological Injury

Sharp

Duarte

Gebrekristos

et al. 2016

Journal of Neurotrauma

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Rodent models of spinal cord injury are critical for the development of treatments for upper limb motor impairment in humans, but there are few methods for measuring forelimb strength of rodents, an important outcome measure. We developed a novel robotic device-the Robotic Rehabilitator of the Rodent Upper Extremity (RUE)-that requires rats to voluntarily reach for and pull a bar to retrieve a food reward; the resistance of the bar can be programmed. We used RUE to train forelimb strength of 16 rats three times per week for 23 weeks before and 38 weeks after a mild (100 kdyne) unilateral contusion at the cervical level 5 (C5). We measured maximum force produced when RUE movement was unexpectedly blocked. We compared this blocked pulling force (BPF) to weekly measures of forelimb strength obtained with a previous, well-established method: the grip strength meter (GSM). Before injury, BPF was 2.6 times higher (BPF, 444.6 -19.1 g; GSM, 168.4 -3.1 g) and 4.9 times more variable ( p < 0.001) than pulling force measured with the GSM; the two measurement methods were uncorrelated (R 2 = 0.03; p = 0.84). After injury, there was a significant decrease in BPF of 134.35 g -14.71 g ( p < 0.001). Together, our findings document BPF as a repeatable measure of forelimb force production, sensitive to a mild spinal cord injury, which comes closer to measuring maximum force than the GSM and thus may provide a useful measure for quantifying the effects of treatment in rodent models of SCI.

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Restoration of Somatosensory Function by Pairing Vagus Nerve Stimulation with Tactile Rehabilitation

Darrow

Mian

Torres

et al. 2020

Annals of Neurology

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ObjectiveSensory dysfunction is a common consequence of many forms of neurological injury, including stroke and nerve damage. Rehabilitative paradigms that incorporate sensory retraining can provide modest benefits, but the majority of patients are left with lasting sensory loss. We have developed a novel strategy that uses closed‐loop vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) paired with tactile rehabilitation to enhance synaptic plasticity and facilitate recovery of sensory function.MethodsA clinical case report provides initial evidence that a similar implementation of closed‐loop VNS paired with a tactile rehabilitation regimen could improve recovery of somatosensory function. Here, we sought to build on these promising initial clinical data and rigorously evaluate the ability of VNS paired with tactile rehabilitation to improve recovery in an animal model of chronic sensory loss. The study design, including planned sample size, assessments, and statistical comparisons, was preregistered prior to beginning data collection (https://osf.io/xsnj5/).ResultsVNS paired with tactile rehabilitation resulted in a significant and nearly complete recovery of mechanosensory withdrawal thresholds. Equivalent tactile rehabilitation without VNS failed to improve sensory function. This VNS‐dependent restoration of sensory thresholds was maintained for several months after the cessation of stimulation, illustrating long‐term benefits. Moreover, VNS paired with tactile rehabilitation resulted in significant generalized improvements in other measures of sensorimotor forepaw function.InterpretationGiven the safety and tolerability of VNS therapy, these findings suggest that incorporating VNS paired with sensory retraining into rehabilitative regimens may represent a fundamentally new method to increase recovery of sensory function after neurological injury. ANN NEUROL 2020;87:194–205

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The isometric pull task: A novel automated method for quantifying forelimb force generation in rats

Cited by 53 publications

References 32 publications

Vagus Nerve Stimulation Delivered with Motor Training Enhances Recovery of Function after Traumatic Brain Injury

Vagus Nerve Stimulation Delivered with Motor Training Enhances Recovery of Function after Traumatic Brain Injury

Robotic Rehabilitator of the Rodent Upper Extremity: A System and Method for Assessing and Training Forelimb Force Production after Neurological Injury

Restoration of Somatosensory Function by Pairing Vagus Nerve Stimulation with Tactile Rehabilitation

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