Table 1.
Neurological severity score of mice after neurotrauma
| Motor tests | Score |
|---|---|
| Raising rat by the tail | |
| Flexion of forelimb | 1 |
| Flexion of hind limb | 1 |
| Head moved 10° to vertical axis within 30 s | 1 |
| Placing rat on the floor (normal = 0; maximum = 3) | |
| Normal walk | 0 |
| Inability to walk straight | 1 |
| Circling toward the paretic side | 2 |
| Fall to the paretic side | 3 |
| Sensory tests | |
| Placing test (visual and tactile test) | 1 |
| Proprioceptive test (deep sensation, pushing the paw against the table edge to stimulate limb muscles) | 1 |
| Beam balance tests (normal = 0; maximum = 6) | |
| Balances with steady posture | 0 |
| Grasps side of beam | 1 |
| Hugs the beam and one limb falls from the beam | 2 |
| Hugs the beam and two limbs fall from the beam, or spins on beam(>60 s) | 3 |
| Attempts to balance on the beam but falls off (>40 s) | 4 |
| Attempts to balance on the beam but falls off (>20 s) | 5 |
| Falls off: No attempt to balance or hang on to the beam (<20 s) | 6 |
| Beam walking tests | |
| Inability to walk on a 1 cm wide beam | 1 |
| Inability to walk on a 2 cm wide beam | 2 |
| Inability to walk on a 3 cm wide beam | 3 |
| Reflexes absent and abnormal movements | |
| Pinna reflex (head shake when touching the auditory meatus) | 1 |
| Corneal reflex (eye blink when lightly touching the cornea with cotton) | 1 |
| Startle reflex (motor response to a brief noise from snapping a clipboard paper) | 1 |
| Seizures, myoclonus, myodystony | 1 |
| Maximum points | 21 |
One point is awarded for the inability to perform the tasks or for the lack of a tested reflex; 13–18, severe injury; 7–12, moderate injury; 1–6, mild injury.