Related Experiment Videos
'Axial apraxia' in labyrinthectomized lateral hypothalamic-damaged rats
S M Pellis1, V C Pellis, P Teitelbaum
1Department of Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville 32611.
Neuroscience Letters
|November 23, 1987
Summary
Contact righting recovery after lateral hypothalamus damage is altered. Initially, recovery relies on back leg movements, later shifting to axial rotation, similar to axial apraxia.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Animal Behavior
- Motor Control
Background:
- Contact righting, the ability to orient the body upright from a recumbent position, is crucial for motor function.
- Lesions in the lateral hypothalamus (LH) disrupt this ability temporarily.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the recovery patterns of contact righting following lateral hypothalamus damage.
- To examine the influence of combined lateral hypothalamus damage and labyrinthectomy on righting recovery.
Main Methods:
- Electrolytic lesions were made in the lateral hypothalamus of subjects.
- Contact righting was assessed during recovery.
- Labyrinthectomy was performed in conjunction with LH damage to observe combined effects.
Main Results:
- Following LH lesions, contact righting initially recovers via back leg movements without axial rotation.
- Recovery progresses to a stage where axial rotation, driven by the torso, becomes dominant.
- Combined LH damage and labyrinthectomy significantly slow recovery (up to 3 weeks) and reveal intermediate righting stages.
Conclusions:
- Recovery of contact righting after LH damage involves distinct phases, shifting from limb-based to torso-based control.
- The combined insult of LH damage and labyrinthectomy highlights the interplay between vestibular and hypothalamic systems in motor control.
- Observed deficits in axial rotation during recovery resemble 'axial apraxia' in Parkinson's disease, suggesting potential parallels in motor control pathways.