Impaired voluntary wheel running behavior in the unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine rat model of Parkinson's disease.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to investigate voluntary wheel running behavior in the unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) rat model.


METHODS
Male Sprague-Dawley rats were assigned to 2 groups : 6-OHDA group (n=17) and control group (n=8). The unilateral 6-OHDA rat model was induced by injection of 6-OHDA into unilateral medial forebrain bundle using a stereotaxic instrument. Voluntary wheel running activity was assessed per day in successfully lesioned rats (n=10) and control rats. Each behavioral test lasted an hour. The following parameters were investigated during behavioral tests : the number of running bouts, the distance moved in the wheel, average peak speed in running bouts and average duration from the running start to the peak speed.


RESULTS
The number of running bouts and the distance moved in the wheel were significantly decreased in successfully lesioned rats compared with control rats. In addition, average peak speed in running bouts was decreased, and average duration from the running start to the peak speed was increased in lesioned animals, which might indicate motor deficits in these rats. These behavioral changes were still observed 42 days after lesion.


CONCLUSIONS
Voluntary wheel running behavior is impaired in the unilateral 6-OHDA rat model and may represent a useful tool to quantify motor deficits in this model.
Department of Neurosurgery, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China. ; Key Laboratory on Brain Function Repair and Regeneration of Guangdong, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Qi
Q
Pan
Department of Neurosurgery, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China. ; Key Laboratory on Brain Function Repair and Regeneration of Guangdong, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Wangming
W
Zhang
Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
Jinyan
J
Wang
Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
Fei
F
Luo
Neuroscience Research Institute of North Carolina, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.
Jingyu
J
Chang
Department of Neurosurgery, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China. ; Key Laboratory on Brain Function Repair and Regeneration of Guangdong, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China. ; Department of Neurosurgery, The Military General Hospital of Beijing PLA, Beijing, China.
Ruxiang
R
Xu
6-hydroxydopamine; Medial forebrain bundle; Parkinson's disease; Rat; Voluntary wheel running behavior