Table 1. Neurobehavioral assessment of sham and TBI mice one day after surgery.
Neurological assessment scores between groups were broken into two sections which quantified motor and sensory deficits and behavioral findings. The inter-rater reliability (IRR) was calculated (agreement 87%) between examiners. The table describes the specific motor/sensory deficits and behavioral findings under normal and abnormal conditions. The total scores for the sham and TBI groups are shown in the right columns (n=12 for sham and TBI groups).
| Sensory/Motor Deficits | Normal | Abnormal | TBI | Sham |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grasps | 0) Strong / Strength unchanged | 1) Weak and decreased strength | 6 | 0 |
| Gait | 0) Balanced / Coordinated | 1) Unbalanced / Uncoordinated | 4 | 0 |
| Postural Reflex | 0) Present and attempted | 1) Absent / Not observed | 3 | 0 |
| Abnormal Position | 0) Absent / Not observed | 1) Paretic head tilt / contorted body | 2 | 0 |
| Edge Perception | 0) Present in both eyes | 1) present unilaterally or Absent bilaterally | 1 | 0 |
| Vision | 0) Reacts / Blinks / Turns away | 1) Unable to detect stimuli / Absent | 1 | 0 |
| Circular Motion | 0) Absent / Not observed | 1) Consistently moves counterclockwise or clockwise | 0 | 0 |
| Totals by group | 17 | 0 |
| Behavioral Findings | Normal | Abnormal | TBI | Sham |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Posture (Pain) | 0) No pain observed | 1) Hunched posture, piloerect fur, squinted eyes, nose angled down & decreased locomotion | 9 | 4 |
| Apathy | 0) Normal response and exploration | 1) No Movement or response | 6 | 0 |
| Anxiety-like Behavior | 0) Freely moving about cage | 1) Avoidant and crouched in the corner | 6 | 1 |
| Aggressive Behavior | 0) Passive interaction with handler | 1) Attempt to bite handler | 1 | 3 |
| Grooming | 0) Grooming present | 1) Crust at eyes, oily, unkempt fur | 1 | 0 |
| Totals by group | 23 | 8 |