Effect of exercise upon locomotor balance modification after peripheral vestibular lesions (unilateral utricular neurotomy) in squirrel monkeys.
In this study, we placed unilateral utricular nerve section and measured the locomotor equilibrium function (deviation counts of the animal's trotting gait) by the squirrel monkey platform runway test. We applied physical exercise, both preoperatively (3 weeks) and postoperatively. 21 young adult squirrel monkeys were randomly assigned to three groups (7 each): rotating cage exercise (continuous trotting in the motor-driven rotating cage) group, rail-traversing exercise (60 running shuttles on the rotating rail) group, and control nonexercise group. After the statistical analyses on data it was found that the physical exercise showed some effect; however, the type, daily amount, and number of days applied must be quite substantial.
D000818:Animals; D007758:Ear, Inner / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D000882:Haplorhini; D008124:Locomotion; D008297:Male; D005082:Physical Exertion; D004856:Postural Balance; D012399:Rotation; D012444:Saccule and Utricle / Q000502:physiology*; D012453:Saimiri; D014724:Vestibular Function Tests