Assessment of Sensorimotor neglect after occlusion of the middle cerebral artery of the rat

Evaluating the efficacy of neuroprotective drugs in rat models of focal cerebral ischemia has involved histological and behavioral batteries to examine treatment outcome. However, the behavioral tests used to date provide little insight into the nature of the neurological impairments. To provide an analysis of a possible ''neglect'' syndrome after occlusion of the middle cerebral artery, M. I. Posner's (1980) visual attentional paradigm was adapted for use in the rat. A paw-reaching task and a test of somatosensory ''neglect'' also were used to assess forelimb sensorimotor function. The lesion group displayed unilateral deficits; however, there was no evidence of attentional dysfunction. Results are consistent with the conclusion that the behavioral deficits identified arise from a somatosensory deficit rather than hemineglect due to dysfunctional spatial attention.