Air-righting responses to chronic hindlimb suspension and ambulation recovery in adult rats.
Laouris et al. (1990) reported that the development of air-righting in growing new-born rats was clearly suppressed when their neck and/or back rotations were prevented. Thus, it is suggested that the neck and back muscles play an important role for a quick righting in response to drop from supine position. Further, we reported that an inhibiton of posture adjustment in response to head-down drop from a height of approximately 30 cm following chronic hindlimb suspension of adult rats was accompanied by a decrease of electromyogram (EMG) activity in both neck and back muscles (Kawano et al., 2002). However, it is still unclear how the air-righting performance is influenced by hindlimb suspension in adult rats. Thus, the effects of chronic hindlimb suspension of adult rats on the patterns and time of air-righting and role of neck and back muscles in the air-righting were investigated in the current study.
Kawano
Fuminori
F
School of Health and Sport Sciences, Osaka University.
Ishihara
Akihiko
A
Ohira
Yoshinobu
Y
D000818:Animals; D001415:Back / Q000502:physiology; D004576:Electromyography; D019417:Hindlimb Suspension; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000502:physiology*; D009334:Neck Muscles / Q000502:physiology; D004856:Postural Balance / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar