title: Behavioral testing after spinal cord injury: congruities, complexities, and controversies.
abstract: Selection and implementation of behavioral tests in spinal cord injury research is an important process, and yet few papers have focused on these issues. The critical component of any behavioral experiment is the ability to produce reliable, reproducible, and worthwhile data. Unfortunately, the difference between worthwhile and worthless data is often subtle. This paper describes factors that must be considered in order to select the most sensitive behavioral tests to match the hypothesis of the experiment and apply any test in a standardized, consistent manner. Classifications of behavioral tests, their strengths and limitations, as well as methods to overcome these limitations are discussed. Recent work in translating behavioral tests from rats to mice is also provided. The purpose of this article is to provide a framework by which behavioral testing can be standardized within and across spinal cord injury labs.
authors.affiliation: Division of Physical Therapy, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA. MBasso@amp.osu.edu
authors.forename: D Michele
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Basso
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D020233:Gait Disorders, Neurologic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D051379:Mice; D009460:Neurologic Examination / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D051381:Rats; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000502:physiology; D013045:Species Specificity; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy