Blast‐induced traumatic brain injury reduces rotarod performance in Sprague‐Dawley male rats
Abstract
Blast‐induced traumatic brain injury (bTBI) is the most common injury of modern warfare. In 2008, nearly 25,000 U.S. soldiers were diagnosed with TBI, with neuronal and behavioral defects detected up to one year post‐blast. Research is only beginning to reveal the mechanisms of bTBI. Our objective was to determine the effect of our bTBI model on motor function in rats using the rotarod. Non‐blast TBI studies assure the high sensitivity of the rotarod as a vestibulomotor test, where deficits are detected even after recovery from beam balance/walk. Sprague‐Dawley male rats pretrained on the rotarod apparatus prior to blast injury were tested on days 1–4, 7 and 8 post‐blast. bTBI was induced by a blast‐pressure wave generator, with exposures at ~60 and ~80 psi. Rotarod performance on days 1, 2, 7 and 8 post‐blast in 80 psi blast‐injured rats was significantly reduced compared to sham rats, whereas 60 psi blast did not reduce performance. Cerebellar immunoreactivity of the glial fibrillary acidic protein, a reactive astrocyte marker, was significantly increased on day 9 post‐blast in rats exposed to 80 psi blast compared to sham rats. This indicates a direct link between bTBI and increased reactive astrocytes in the cerebellum. This is the first study, to our knowledge, to show a pressure‐dependent effect on rotarod performance as a measure of vestibulomotor function in bTBI. Supported by Department of Defense (CDMRP) – DR080343
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Apr 01, 2010
- Source ID
- 10.1096/fasebj.24.1_supplement.811.7
Entities
People
- Daniel J Brackett
- Hibah Omar Awwad
- Kelly M. Standifer
- Larry P Gonzalez
- Megan R. Lerner
- Paul Tompkins
Organizations
- United States Department of Defense
- University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center
- Veterans Health Administration