Table 2

Grading of neurological severity score of rats.

Behaviors


Points

Hemiplegia: inability resist to forced changes in position

1
Flexion in hindlimb when raised by tail

1
Inability to walk straight when placed on floor

1
Inability to walk


1
Reflex
Loss of righting reflex for
20 minutes
1


40 minutes
1


60 minutes
1

Limb reflexes: loss of placing Reflexes
Left forelimb
1


Left hindlimb
1


Right forelimb
1


Right hindlimb
1
Clinical grade
Loss of seeking behavior

1

Prostration

1
Inability to exit from a circle (50 cm in diameter) when left in the center for Functioning test: failure in beam balancing task (1 cm wide)
20 minutes

1

40 minutes

1

60 minutes

1

Balances with steady posture, paws on top of beam
1

Grasps sides of beam and/or has shaky movement
1

One or more paws slip off beam
1

Attempt to balance on beam but falls off
1

Drapes over beam and/or hangs on beam and falls off
1

Falls off beam with no attempt to balance or hang on
1
Failure in beam walking task
2.5-cm wide

1

5.0-cm wide

1

8.0-cm wide

1
Sum


25

The table summarizes the criteria for scoring of rats. The NSS correlates directly with the deterioration of observable neurological status so that a lower score represents nearly intact neurological status and a higher score indicates severe neurological dysfunction caused by injury.

Fei et al. BMC Neuroscience 2007 8:96   doi:10.1186/1471-2202-8-96