title: Procedural learning as a measure of functional impairment in a mouse model of ischemic stroke.
abstract: Basal ganglia stroke is often associated with functional deficits in patients, including difficulties to learn and execute new motor skills (procedural learning). To measure procedural learning in a murine model of stroke (30min right MCAO), we submitted C57Bl/6J mice to various sensorimotor tests, then to an operant procedure (Serial Order Learning) specifically assessing the ability to learn a simple motor sequence. Results showed that MCAO affected the performance in some of the sensorimotor tests (accelerated rotating rod and amphetamine rotation test) and the way animals learned a motor sequence. The later finding seems to be caused by difficulties regarding the chunking of operant actions into a coherent motor sequence; the appeal for food rewards and ability to press levers appeared unaffected by MCAO. We conclude that assessment of motor learning in rodent models of stroke might improve the translational value of such models.
authors.affiliation: Université de Liège, Département de Psychologie, Place des Orateurs, 2 (B32), Quartier Agora, 4000 Liège, Belgium. Electronic address: j.linden@ulg.ac.be.
authors.forename: Jérôme
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Linden
authors.affiliation: Université de Liège, Département de Psychologie, Place des Orateurs, 2 (B32), Quartier Agora, 4000 Liège, Belgium.
authors.forename: Lise
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Van de Beeck
authors.affiliation: Université de Liège, Département de Biologie, écologie et évolution, Chemin de la Vallée 4 (B22), 4000 Liège, Belgium.
authors.forename: Jean-Christophe
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Plumier
authors.affiliation: Université de Liège, Département de Psychologie, Place des Orateurs, 2 (B32), Quartier Agora, 4000 Liège, Belgium.
authors.forename: André
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ferrara
mesh_terms: D000661:Amphetamine / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology; D020244:Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery / Q000150:complications*; D008124:Locomotion / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D000068079:Motor Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D004856:Postural Balance; D011596:Psychomotor Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D045442:Rotarod Performance Test; D012691:Serial Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000661:Amphetamine
keywords: Behaviour; Functional outcome; MCAO; NeuN; Procedural learning; Stroke