neurostatus?

March 11, 2007 4:40 PM

Anyone know what a 'neuroscore' or neurological status score is based on (in rat studies)?

i'm reading a Talampanel effects report from Brain Research Bulletin 68 (2006) 269-276, and they use a neuroscore when testing the physiological health of rats. I've never run into a neuroscore test, and have no idea how its done or what it describes. The report also doesn't describe it. Can anyone here?

posted by wumpus to Science & Nature (4 answers total)

IANA vivisectionist but I believe the neuroscore, or modified versions of come from this paper. I have appended the abstract below:

Outcome model of asphyxial cardiac arrest in rats.
Katz L, Ebmeyer U, Safar P, Radovsky A, Neumar R.
Safar Center for Resuscitation Research, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pennsylvania 15260, USA.

An outcome model with asphyxial cardiac arrest in rats has been developed for quantifying brain damage. Twenty-two rats were randomized into three groups. Control group I was normal, was conscious, and had no asphyxia (n = 6). Sham group II had anesthesia and surgery but no asphyxia (n = 6). All 12 rats in groups I and II survived to 72 h and were functionally and histologically normal. Arrest group III (the model; n = 10) had light anesthesia and apneic asphyxia of 8 min, which led to cessation of circulation at 3-4 min of apnea, resulting in cardiac arrest (no flow) of 4-5 min. All 10 rats had spontaneous circulation restored by standard external cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Nine rats survived controlled ventilation for 1 h and observation to 72 h, while one rat died before extubation. All nine survivors were conscious at 72 h, with neurologic deficit scores (0% = best; 100% = worst) of 7 +/- 6% (2-16%). All brain regions at five coronal levels were examined for ischemic neurons. The prevalence of ischemic neurons in five regions was categorically scored. The average total brain histopathologic damage score in group III (n = 9) was 2.1 (p < 0.05 vs. group I or II). A reproducible outcome model of cardiac arrest in rats was documented. It provides a tool for investigating pathophysiological mechanisms of neuronal death caused by a transient global hypoxic-ischemic brain insult.
posted by roofus at 5:52 PM on March 11, 2007

There's also this paper, which describes the battery of tests used to generate a neuroscore (search for "composite neuroscore")
posted by greatgefilte at 5:56 PM on March 11, 2007

Best answer: Scratch my previous answer. In the paper you reference above, the authors helpfully point out:

"The modified score system of Kilic et al. was applied [27]. The neurological deficit was scored at 24 h and on the days 2–3–4–7–15–22 and 29 post-occlusion. The following score system was used: 0 = normal function, no neurological deficit, 2 = left (ipsilateral) Horner's syndrome, 4 = failure to extend right (contralateral) forepaw fully, 6 = circling, 8 = no spontaneous moving, 10 = depressed level of consciousness."

The Kilic paper is from: NeuroReport
Volume 10, Issue 1, 18 January 1999, Pages 107-111

What else did you need to know about it?
posted by roofus at 6:24 PM on March 11, 2007

Response by poster: nothanks, that works, didn't notice it.
posted by wumpus at 1:29 AM on March 14, 2007