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Assessment of Sensorimotor Function in Mouse Models of Parkinson's Disease
Published on: June 17, 2013
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Modelling falls in Parkinson's disease and normal ageing in mice using a complex motor task.
Megan G Jackson1, Laura J Brennan1, Emily J Henderson2,3
1School of Physiology, Pharmacology & Neuroscience, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
Brain and Neuroscience Advances
|March 28, 2022
Summary
Falls are common in aging and Parkinson's disease. This study shows cholinergic system deficits impair complex motor tasks in mice, and aging exacerbates these issues, with anti-inflammatories offering some benefit.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Gerontology
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Falls are a significant issue in normal aging and Parkinson's disease (PD), often stemming from multifactorial deficits.
- Gait and balance impairments in PD are not fully responsive to dopaminergic treatments, suggesting other neurological systems are involved.
- Attentional deficits are a known risk factor for falls, with prior research implicating both cholinergic and dopaminergic systems in rats.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of the cholinergic and dopaminergic systems in complex motor task performance and falls in mice.
- To examine the impact of normal aging on complex motor performance and its susceptibility to inflammation.
- To determine if cholinergic or dopaminergic antagonism, or a combination, affects performance in a complex motor task in mice.
Main Methods:
- Mice underwent a complex motor task to assess performance.
- Acute dopaminergic antagonism (alpha-flupentixol) and cholinergic antagonism (scopolamine) were administered.
- The effects of normal aging and the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) Rimadyl on task performance were evaluated.
Main Results:
- Cholinergic antagonism, but not dopaminergic antagonism, significantly impaired complex motor task performance.
- Combined cholinergic and dopaminergic antagonism did not worsen performance beyond the effect of cholinergic antagonism alone.
- Aged mice exhibited impaired performance compared to younger controls, and Rimadyl reduced foot slips in an age-dependent manner.
Conclusions:
- The cholinergic system plays a critical role in preventing falls during complex motor tasks in mice.
- Normal aging impairs complex motor performance, and inflammation may contribute to these deficits.
- While aging-related impairments were observed, no direct interaction with attentional load was identified in this study, though further investigation is warranted.
