Table 1.

Available and helpful sensorimotor tests assessing longitudinal and long-term functional recovery.

	Behavioral test	Brief description	Time points	Advantages	Concerns
SENSORI-MOTOR FUNCTIONS	Neurological scales	Neurological score for 4 to 6 items (ranking from normal motor function: spontaneous walk initiation, circling behavior; to normal posture at rest: limb slipping arms, head tilting, hand crossing the chest; or when lifted by the tail for rodents only: flexion of torso and controlateral forelimb, decreased of controlateral forelimb grip).	Few days to a week[33]	* Inter-species comparisons: non-human primate and rodents (mouse, rat, gerbil) * Useful to access the acute phase of cerebral ischemia	* Requires animal contention * Highly variable from a lab to another according to the number of evaluation criteria included and to the procedure which is highly experimenter-dependant
	Limb placing test	Sensorimotor and proprioceptive abilities: sensorimotor responses of fore- and hindlimbs to tactile, visual, and proprioceptive stimuli.	Till 2 - 3 weeks[34]
	Cylinder test	Limb-use asymmetry: preference for using the non-impaired forelimb for weight shifting movement. Animal is placed in a cylinder and limb use asymmetry is observed during rearing with support.	Few weeks[35,36]	* Easy to perform * No need of animal contention	* Cannot be done in the acute phase, since it needs a certain level of recovery
	Grip strength test	Muscular strength: forelimb muscular strength with a Newton meter attached to a triangular steel wire grasped by the animal.	Few weeks to a month[37]	* Quantitatively measured by a Newton meter	* Specific apparatus required
	Beam walking test	Locomotor function: evaluation of forelimb and hindlimb faults while traversing along a ledged tapered beam.	Few weeks[38,39]	* Easy to perform * No need of expensive materials	* Cannot be done until postural bias and circling behaviors have not disappeared
	Rotarod test (constant or accelerated)	Balance and motor coordination: measure of latency to fall off a rotating rod (speed of rotation can be constant or increasing)	weeks[40,41]	* Easy to perform * Quantitative measures	* Cost of apparatus * May require a training session
	Adhesive removal test	Somatosensory and motor function: measure of the requested time to sense and to remove the adhesives placed on the animal's body (forelimb, hindlimb or snout). Of note, performance at this task has been shown to be strictly independent of postural bias and circling behaviors	From weeks[22] to months[42,43]	* Inter-species comparisons: non-human primate and rodents (mouse, rat, gerbil)	* May require a training session * Requires animal contention
	Reach to grasp test/Skilled reaching test/staircase test	Forelimb ability and dexterity: measure of the ability to reach food pellets	From weeks[44,45] to months[43]	* Inter-species comparisons: non-human primate and rodents (mice, rat) * independent forelimb reaching ability	* Requires a food restriction * Time-consuming * May require a training session
MNESIC FUNCTIONS	Morris water maze	Spatial memory task: Measure of the required distance and time, to get to a escape platform, hidden under the surface of the water in a circular pool tank	weeks[46]	* Highly develop since 80's, numerous protocols existing that can fit all request	* Require a training session for the learning phase and a retention phase * Require a dedicated room to lodge the pool * Require a software for the tracking of the animal
	Passive avoidance	Fear-motivated task: animal learns to refrain from stepping through a door to an apparently safer but previously punished dark compartment	From days[47] to weeks[46]	* One-trial task with no need to learn a rule	* Require electrical foot shock that may interfere with other behavioral test
	Object recognition test	Non-spatial memory task: Measure of spontaneous tendency of rodents to spend more time exploring a novel object than a familiar one.	weeks[48]	* One-trial task with no need to learn a rule
EMOTIONAL-TRAIT	Elevated plus maze	Anxiety-related behaviour: measure of the time spent in anxiogenous (open) vs safe (close) arms of a labyrinth	Few months[27]	* Easy to perform * Inter-species comparison (mouse, rat)	* Cannot be done until postural bias and circling behaviors have not disappeared
	Black & white box	Anxiety-related behaviour: measure of the preference to stay in a dark vs illuminated compartment of a double-box

Time points when behavioral tests can discern sham-operated from stroked animals are given as an indication for a typical 30-50% lesion size.