Table 3.
Neurobehavioral scoring protocol for rabbit pups at P1
|
Test |
Score |
Behavior |
|---|---|---|
| Posture | 0 | Lays supine |
| 1 | Lays on side | |
| 2 | Cannot maintain prone position, wobbly | |
| 3 | Prone position with legs coiled | |
| Righting reflex: turns | 0-10 | Number of times turns prone from supine position in 10 tries |
| Distinction made between rapid and delayed response | ||
| Righting reflex: score | 0 | Lays supine |
| 1 | Turns to side | |
| 2 | Turns to prone but delayed response, or cannot maintain prone position and turns to side | |
| 3 | Fast response to prone position, maintains prone position | |
| Tone | 0 | No increase in tone |
| Joints: shoulder, elbow, and carpal, hip, knee, and tarsal | 1 | Slight increase in tone when the limb is moved in flexion or extension |
| Contraction at rest | 2 | More marked increase in tone but limb easily flexed |
| At onset of movement | 3 | Considerable increase in tone, passive movement difficult |
| Slow: 3 sec, entire range of motion | 4 | Limb rigid in flexion or extension |
| Intermediate: 0.5 sec, range motion | ||
| Fast | ||
| Reversal-slow | ||
| Reversal-intermediate | ||
| Reversal-fast | ||
| Locomotion | 0 | No movement |
| Moves head | 1 | Slight movement |
| Moves front legs | 2 | Distinct movement, showing good range of motion |
| Moves back legs | 3 | Rapid movement, entire range of motion |
| Circular motion | 0 | No movement |
| Straight line forward motion | 1 | Slight movement, slight jump |
| Jumping and jerky motions | 2 | Good range of motion, maintains for one to two steps, occasional jump |
| 3 | Entire range of motion, maintains for at least three 3 steps, rapid jumps | |
| Intensity | 0 | No movement |
| 1 | Slight activity | |
| 2 | Distinct forceful movements | |
| 3 | Rapid forceful movements | |
| Duration | 0 | No movement |
| Observation for 1 min | 1 | Activity <20 sec |
| 2 | Activity 20-40 sec | |
| 3 | Activity 40-60 sec | |
| Number of line crosses in 60 sec | Crossing perpendicular line when walking straight | |
| Shortest fore-hindpaw distance | Five measurements taken only if pups could walk in straight line | |
| Sucking and swallowing | 0 | No movement of jaw, milk dribbles out completely |
| 1 | Some movement of jaw and neck, most of milk dribbles out | |
| 2 | Definite sucking and swallowing, some milk appears in nose | |
| 3 | Good suck and swallow, no milk in nose or dribbling outside | |
| Head turn during feeding | 0 | No movement away |
| 1 | Slight occasional movement of head | |
| 2 | Distinct movement of head to either side | |
|
|
3 |
Rapid forceful movements of head and body away |