Cognitive and motor function assessments in rodent models of traumatic brain injury

Abstract

Cognitive and motor dysfunction is common in people who have experienced a traumatic brain injury (TBI). These deficits can include memory loss, learning impairment, dizziness, difficulty with balance, and loss of fine motor control and coordination. Cognitive function and vestibulomotor tasks have been widely used in clinically relevant rodent models of experimental TBI to study the relationship of neurobehavioral dysfunction to injury severity, secondary injury mechanisms, or putative therapeutic interventions. Here we describe paradigms for the novel object recognition task, a test of memory, and beam walking and rotarod tasks, tests of coordinated motor function. Key advantages and disadvantages are presented, and potential problems and adaptations of these behavioral tests are discussed.