Effects of 9 weeks of hindlimb unloading on motor performances in adult rats.
It has been reported that abnormal steps associated with an ankle hyper-extension during walking were observed in adult rats after 2 weeks of hindlimb suspension (Canu and Falempin, 1997 & 1998). But such phenomena were normalized after 7 days of reambulation recovery. Canu and Falempin (1996) suggested that the spinal cord has a capacity to generate a well-organized pattern of locomotion even after a period of muscle disuse. There are, however, no reports about the effects of more prolonged suspension on motor performances. In the present study, 7 weeks old male rats were hindlimb-unloaded by tail suspension for 9 consecutive weeks and landing performances in response to drop from head-down, head-up, or supine position were investigated during 8 weeks of recovery. Posture maintenance during right-left translation was also checked.
Kawano
F
F
Dept. Physiol. Biomech., NIFS, Kanoya, Japan.
Nomura
T
T
Kang
M S
MS
Lee
J H
JH
Han
E Y
EY
Chiu
Y C
YC
Sato
Y
Y
Ishihara
A
A
Ohira
Y
Y
D000818:Animals; D006614:Hindlimb / Q000502:physiology; D019417:Hindlimb Suspension; D008124:Locomotion; D008297:Male; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000502:physiology*; D011187:Posture; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013643:Tarsus, Animal / Q000502:physiology