Figure 1. Novel application of combined behavioral measures to assess motor function and locomotor activity in experimental arthritis.
(A) Schematic representation of longitudinal behavioral assessment during AIA. Blue arrows denote habituation to the behavioral tasks, 4 sessions of baseline measurement, and 7 testing days; (B) Significantly greater knee swelling in AIA-injected mice compared to PBS-injected mice; (C) No significant effect of PBS or AIA injection on stride length; (D) Latency to turn is not significantly different between the groups; (E) AIA-treated mice transiently demonstrate significantly longer latency to traverse the balance beam than PBS-treated mice; (F&G) AIA injection induced a significant transient increase in the number of foot slips made by both hind limbs; (H) Open field testing revealed a transient reduction in total distance moved and (I) time spent moving in the AIA-treated group compared to the PBS-treated group. Tracks show representative movement (black line) on day 2 post injection, when the AIA-injected group are significantly less active that the PBS-injected group.
B–baseline testing day; Graphs represent mean ± SEM; Significant effect of Group: *p ≤ 0.05; Significant Group*Day interaction: $$p ≤ 0.01, $$$p ≤ 0.001.
