title: Changes in motor behavior during pregnancy in rats: the basis for a possible animal model of restless legs syndrome.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Pregnant women have a 2-3 fold higher probability of developing restless legs syndrome (RLS - sleep-related movement disorders) than general population. This study aims to evaluate the behavior and locomotion of rats during pregnancy in order to verify if part of these animals exhibit some RLS-like features.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used 14 female 80-day-old Wistar rats that weighed between 200 and 250 g. The rats were distributed into control (CTRL) and pregnant (PN) groups. After a baseline evaluation of their behavior and locomotor activity in an open-field environment, the PN group was inducted into pregnancy, and their behavior and locomotor activity were evaluated on days 3, 10 and 19 of pregnancy and in the post-lactation period in parallel with the CTRL group. The serum iron and transferrin levels in the CTRL and PN groups were analyzed in blood collected after euthanasia by decapitation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were no significant differences in the total ambulation, grooming events, fecal boli or urine pools between the CTRL and PN groups. However, the PN group exhibited fewer rearing events, increased grooming time and reduced immobilization time than the CTRL group (ANOVA, p<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that pregnant rats show behavioral and locomotor alterations similar to those observed in animal models of RLS, demonstrating to be a possible animal model of this sleep disorder.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychobiology, Universidade Federal de São Paulo - UNIFESP, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Melise Oliveira
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Mariano
authors.affiliation: Faculdade de Ciências Aplicadas, Universidade Estadual de Campinas - UNICAMP, Limeira, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Andrea Maculano
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Esteves
authors.affiliation: Faculdade de Ciências Aplicadas, Universidade Estadual de Campinas - UNICAMP, Limeira, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Miriam Kannebley
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Frank
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Universidade Federal de São Paulo - UNIFESP, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Luciana Chagas
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Caperuto
authors.affiliation: Sleep and Epilepsy Center, Neurocenter of the Southern Switzerland, Civic Hospital of Lugano, Lugano, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Mauro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Manconi
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychobiology, Universidade Federal de São Paulo - UNIFESP, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Sergio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tufik
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychobiology, Universidade Federal de São Paulo - UNIFESP, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marco Tulio
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: De Mello
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D009043:Motor Activity; D011247:Pregnancy; D011270:Pregnancy, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012148:Restless Legs Syndrome