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Psychiatric Disorders pp 371–381Cite as

Neurological Exam in Rats Following Stroke and Traumatic Brain Injury

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Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 2011))

Abstract

Using the appropriate model for testing neurological symptoms in rats is essential for the assessment of functional outcome. A number of tests have been developed to quantify the severity of neurological deficits. These tests should meet criteria such as validity, specificity, sensitivity, and utility. Although analysis of motor function shows homology in primates and rodents, the total neurological exam scores may not always reflect the clinical outcome. Therefore, the selection of the appropriate tests has critical importance when evaluating therapeutic strategies. This chapter describes Toklu’s modified neurological exam score method which can be used practically to assess neurological symptoms following traumatic brain injury (TBI) and stroke. The method is a combination of balance, muscle strength, coordination, and reflex.

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Acknowledgments

This modified scoring was first used in the Ph.D. thesis of Hale Toklu with her advisor Prof. Meral Keyer-Uysal. The authors also would like to thank Professors Goksel Sener, Berrak Yegen, Gul Ayanoglu Dulger, Tayfun Hakan, and Nihal Tumer for their supervision/contribution in brain injury studies with TBI models.

The authors are grateful to Prof. Christopher Vallandingham for language editing and proofreading.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Central Florida College of Medicine, Department of Clinical Sciences, Gainesville, FL, USA

    Hale Z. Toklu

  2. HCA North Florida Division, Graduate Medical Education, Tallahassee, FL, USA

    Hale Z. Toklu

  3. University of Florida, Department of Emergency Medicine, Gainesville, FL, USA

    Zhiui Yang & Kevin K. W. Wang

  4. Istanbul Medeniyet University, Department of Neurosurgery, Istanbul, Turkey

    Mehmet Ersahin

Authors
  1. Hale Z. Toklu
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  2. Zhiui Yang
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  3. Mehmet Ersahin
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  4. Kevin K. W. Wang
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon

    Firas H. Kobeissy

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Toklu, H.Z., Yang, Z., Ersahin, M., Wang, K.K.W. (2019). Neurological Exam in Rats Following Stroke and Traumatic Brain Injury. In: Kobeissy, F. (eds) Psychiatric Disorders. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 2011. Humana, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-9554-7_21

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-9554-7_21

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  • Publisher Name: Humana, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4939-9553-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-9554-7

  • eBook Packages: Springer Protocols

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