Progression of kaolin-induced hydrocephalus and changes in performance of operant tasks by rats

The behavior of rats with progressive hydrocephalus was examined to detect early neurological deterioration. Kaolin solution was injected into the cisterna magna of 10 of 17 anesthetized 8-week-old male rats (day 0), and saline in the other 7 rats (control group). Reaction time (RT, sec) and error ratio (ER, %) of unanesthetized rats escaping from electrical stimuli toward a nonstimulated sheet within a box were recorded daily from day 4 until autopsy after 4 weeks. Three rats in the kaolin group died in acute stage. Rats were assigned to either severe (S) (n = 4) or moderate (M) (n = 4) group according to the degree of ventricular dilatation at autopsy. The RTs prolonged and ERs increased in the kaolin group and they reached their minimum values. Values after the minimum RT value on day 12 in the M-group and 22 in the S-group during the chronic stage were compared with those in the controls, which decreased throughout the experiments (P < 0.03). In all animals in the S-group RT was prolonged each day with a linear regression (P < 0.005), although ER was decreased (0.69 > P > 0.23). In 3 rats and in another rat in the M-group RT was prolonged (P < 0.04 and P = 0.19) and ER was decreased in 3 rats (two: P = 0.41; one: P = 0.01) and increased in one (P = 0.55). In conclusion, deteriorated motor function is more important for early diagnosis in progressive hydrocephalus than behavioral symptoms.