Table I.
Modified neurological severity score (maximum points=18).
| Test | Points |
|---|---|
| Raising rat by tail | 3 |
| Flexion of forelimb | 1 |
| Flexion of hindlimb | 1 |
| Head moves >10° to vertical axis within 30 sec | 1 |
| Placing rat on floor | 3 |
| Normal walk | 0 |
| Inability to walk straight | 1 |
| Circling toward the paretic side | 2 |
| Fall down to the paretic side | 3 |
| Sensory | 2 |
| Placing (visual and tactile) | 1 |
| Proprioceptive (deep sensation, pushing paw against table edge to stimulate limb muscles) | 1 |
| Beam balance | 6 |
| Balances with steady posture | 0 |
| Grasps side of beam | 1 |
| Hugs beam; one limb falls from beam | 2 |
| Hugs beam; two limbs fall from beam or spins on beam (>60 sec) | 3 |
| Attempts to balance on beam but falls off (>40 sec) | 4 |
| Attempts to balance on beam but falls off (>20 sec) | 5 |
| Falls off; no attempt to balance or hang on to beam (20 sec) | 6 |
| Reflex absence and abnormal movement | 4 |
| Pinna (head shake when auditory meatus is touched) | 1 |
| Corneal (eye blink when cornea is lightly touched with cotton) | 1 |
| Startle (motor response to brief snapping clipboard noise) | 1 |
| Seizure, myoclonus, myodystony | 1 |