Deficits in fine motor skills in a genetic animal model of ADHD.
BACKGROUND
In an attempt to model some behavioral aspects of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), we examined whether an existing genetic animal model of ADHD is valid for investigating not only locomotor hyperactivity, but also more complex motor coordination problems displayed by the majority of children with ADHD.


METHODS
We subjected young adolescent Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats (SHRs), the most commonly used genetic animal model of ADHD, to a battery of tests for motor activity, gross motor coordination, and skilled reaching. Wistar (WIS) rats were used as controls.


RESULTS
Similar to children with ADHD, young adolescent SHRs displayed locomotor hyperactivity in a familiar, but not in a novel environment. They also had lower performance scores in a complex skilled reaching task when compared to WIS rats, especially in the most sensitive measure of skilled performance (i.e., single attempt success). In contrast, their gross motor performance on a Rota-Rod test was similar to that of WIS rats.


CONCLUSIONS
The results support the notion that the SHR strain is a useful animal model system to investigate potential molecular mechanisms underlying fine motor skill problems in children with ADHD.
Qian
Yu
Y
Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, S-171 77 Stockholm, Sweden.
Lei
Gefei
G
Castellanos
Francisco X
FX
Forssberg
Hans
H
Heijtz
Rochellys Diaz
RD
D000818:Animals; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000235:genetics / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006801:Humans; D006948:Hyperkinesis / Q000235:genetics / Q000503:physiopathology; D009048:Motor Skills / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D011918:Rats, Inbred SHR; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013045:Species Specificity
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