AUTHOR=Lavender Andrew P. , Rawlings Samuel , Warnock Andrew , McGonigle Terry , Hiles-Murison Bailey , Nesbit Michael , Lam Virginie , Hackett Mark J. , Fitzgerald Melinda , Takechi Ryusuke 

TITLE=Repeated Long-Term Sub-concussion Impacts Induce Motor Dysfunction in Rats: A Potential Rodent Model

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Neurology

VOLUME=11

YEAR=2020

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neurology/articles/10.3389/fneur.2020.00491

DOI=10.3389/fneur.2020.00491

ISSN=1664-2295

ABSTRACT=<p>Whilst detrimental effects of repeated sub-concussive impacts on neurophysiological and behavioral function are increasingly reported, the underlying mechanisms are largely unknown. Here, we report that repeated sub-concussion with a light weight drop (25 g) in wild-type PVG rats for 2 weeks does not induce detectable neuromotor dysfunction assessed by beamwalk and rotarod tests. However, after 12 weeks of repeated sub-concussion, the rats exhibited moderate neuromotor dysfunction. This is the first study to demonstrate development of neuromotor dysfunction following multiple long-term sub-concussive impacts in rats. The outcomes may offer significant opportunity for future studies to understand the mechanisms of sub-concussion-induced neuropsychological changes.</p>