Device for quantitating tremor activity in mice: antitremor activity of atropine versus soman- and oxotremorine-induced tremors.
A tremor monitor was constructed and tested that quantitates soman- and oxotremorine-induced tremors. The device consisted of a force transducer, from which was suspended a plastic beaker containing a mouse. The signal from the force transducer was fed into a tremor monitor, which was essentially a low-pass filter, and quantitated using the Applecounter from Columbus Instruments (Columbus, Ohio) with the data stored on floppy diskette in a personal computer or on a magnetic tape cassette. The tremor monitor demonstrated a dose response relationship to both soman- and oxotremorine-induced tremors and the antagonism of these tremors by various doses of atropine. In addition, the duration of action of a dose of atropine (17.4 mg/kg, ip) normally used in the therapy of organophosphate poisoning was assessed using the atropine antagonism of oxotremorine-induced tremors as an indicator. This device permits the unbiased determination of the tremor activity of a drug and allows the use of statistical analysis on the data produced.
Biomedical Defence Section, Defence Research Establishment Suffield, Ralston, Alberta, Canada.
J G
JG
Clement
W R
WR
Dyck
D000818:Animals; D001285:Atropine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D007537:Isometric Contraction; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D010095:Oxotremorine / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000494:pharmacology; D012640:Seizures / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000503:physiopathology; D012999:Soman / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000494:pharmacology; D014159:Transducers; D014202:Tremor / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000517:prevention & control*
D010095:Oxotremorine; D001285:Atropine; D012999:Soman