OBJECTIVE: Locomotion, rearing and grooming represent different forms of behaviour and motor activity in rats. In this study, changes in these activities were analysed in relation to impaired function of the nervous system by single and/or concomitant lesions representing an experimental model of the dual diagnosis. METHODS: 32 rats were divided into 4 groups of 8 rats: intact rats, rats with single lesion of peripheral nervous system (PNS) - Marcaine neuropathy, rats with single CNS lesion - cellular brain edema induced by water intoxication, and the concomitant lesions (combination of CNS and PNS lesion in one rat). Water intoxication was performed in a standard way by fractionated hyperhydration. The average time spent by locomotion, rearing and grooming was registered and analyzed using an open field test. RESULTS: All activities of the rats after water intoxication became inhibited due to the generally suppressive effect of brain edema. Lesion of PNS reduced activity in locomotion only, because for rearing and grooming activities, the function of the forelimb is not dominant. Combination of lesions (dual diagnosis) reduced locomotion and rearing activity more than single lesions, and enhances the stressogenic effect, which was manifested by a long periods of grooming. CONCLUSION: Results of our study confirmed the physiological and pathophysiological differences in the movement stereotype between locomotion, rearing and grooming caused by the characteristics and algorithms of the movements, which are inborn to rats - the dominant role of the forelimbs in locomotion, the dominant exploratory activity in rearing, and the precise syntactic movement pattern in grooming.

Institute of Physiology 1st Faculty of Medicine Charles University Prague Prague Czech Republic