Neurobehavioral Assessments of Cerebral Vasospasm - Animal Models of Acute Neurological Injuries: Injury and Mechanistic Assessments - page 552

6. Experimental
Models of
Neurobehavioral
Changes

Normal vision is essential for most of the below-described neurobe-
havioral tests. A detailed ophthalmic examination must be performed
to differentiate pathologies in the eyes and the brain. No appropriate
behavioral tests are available for precise evaluation of visual fi eld
defects.

6.1. Visual Field
Defects

6.2. Neglect

Cats, rats, and monkeys serve as models of neglect. The animal is
placed in a special arena or testing/discrimination apparatus, where
high-incentive stimulus is introduced fi rst in front of the animal, than
right and left from the animal. Failure to turn the head toward the
high-incentive stimulus indicates the neglect, typically due to a lesion
in the contralateral posterior and inferior parietal cortex or the superior
colliculus (cat ( 80-82 ); rat ( 83-85 ); and primate ( 86-88 )).

6.3. Defects of Visual
and Spatial
Constructive
Capacities

No appropriate behavioral tests are available.

The delayed nonmatching-to-sample test (DNMS) can be used for
object recognition and is described in the “memory disorders”
section.

6.4. Distortions of Face
and Object
Recognition

The Morris water maze (MWM) is the most common rodent
behavioral test used to evaluate several types of learning (i.e., pro-
cedural, matching to place, cue) as well as spatial, procedural, and
working memory. Pigs can also be used in this test. The animal is
placed in the center of the water tank (or water swim fi eld) and
allowed to swim to fi nd a slightly submerged platform that cannot
be seen while swimming. Animals are guided by the cues that are
outside the pool and are trained to recognize these cues over several
training practices before the test. Latency to reach the platform,
distance swum, speed swim, and time spent in different areas of the
tank serve as measures for this test (mice ( 89-92 ); rats ( 93, 94 );
rats and mice ( 95 ); and pigs ( 96 )).

6.5. Memory Tests

6.5.1. Morris Water Maze

Rodents and pigs have been used in the radial arm maze (RAM) to
study spatial memory/navigation; learning; working, reference,
procedural, retrospective, and prospective memory; as well as con-
ditioned-cue preference and visual discrimination. Several varieties
of the test are available. The food-deprived trained animal is placed
in the center of the maze with 8-17 equally spaced, door-controlled
arms, which the animal has to enter to fi nd a food or water

6.5.2. Radial Arm Maze