title: Animal behavioral assessments in current research of Parkinson's disease.
abstract: Parkinson's disease (PD), a neurodegenerative disorder, is traditionally classified as a movement disorder. Patients typically suffer from many motor dysfunctions. Presently, clinicians and scientists recognize that many non-motor symptoms are associated with PD. There is an increasing interest in both motor and non-motor symptoms in clinical studies on PD patients and laboratory research on animal models that imitate the pathophysiologic features and symptoms of PD patients. Therefore, appropriate behavioral assessments are extremely crucial for correctly understanding the mechanisms of PD and accurately evaluating the efficacy and safety of novel therapies. This article systematically reviews the behavioral assessments, for both motor and non-motor symptoms, in various animal models involved in current PD research. We addressed the strengths and weaknesses of these behavioral tests and their appropriate applications. Moreover, we discussed potential mechanisms behind these behavioral tests and cautioned readers against potential experimental bias. Since most of the behavioral assessments currently used for non-motor symptoms are not particularly designed for animals with PD, it is of the utmost importance to greatly improve experimental design and evaluation in PD research with animal models. Indeed, it is essential to develop specific assessments for non-motor symptoms in PD animals based on their characteristics. We concluded with a prospective view for behavioral assessments with real-time assessment with mobile internet and wearable device in future PD research.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu-city, Shizuoka, Japan; Department of Psychiatry, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu-city, Shizuoka, Japan. Electronic address: asakawat1971@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Tetsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Asakawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, Jinshan Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Huan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fang
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu-city, Shizuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sugiyama
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu-city, Shizuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Takao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nozaki
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Huashan Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Zhen
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.affiliation: The First People's Hospital of Changzhou, Soochow University School of Medicine, Changzhou, China.
authors.forename: Yilin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: The First People's Hospital of Changzhou, Soochow University School of Medicine, Changzhou, China.
authors.forename: Fei
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Hua
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Key Laboratory of Acupuncture Mechanism and Acupoint Function, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Guanghong
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, The University of Texas McGovern Medical School，Houston, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Dongman
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Chao
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, The University of Texas McGovern Medical School，Houston, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Albert J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Fenoy
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, The University of Texas McGovern Medical School，Houston, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Sebastian J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Villarreal
authors.affiliation: Functional Probe Research Laboratory, RIKEN Center for Life Science Technologies, Kobe, Japan.
authors.forename: Hirotaka
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Onoe
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu-city, Shizuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Katsuaki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu-city, Shizuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Norio
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mori
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu-city, Shizuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Namba
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, The University of Texas McGovern Medical School，Houston, TX, USA. Electronic address: Y55738088@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xia
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D023421:Models, Animal; D010300:Parkinson Disease; D012106:Research
keywords: Behavioral assessments; Fine motor; Food reaching movement; Free-moving counting; Locomotion motor symptoms; Neuropsychological tasks; Non-motor symptoms; Parkinsonian model