Forelimb Functional Assessments of Rats and Mice After Cervical Spinal Cord Injury

Traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) frequently occurs to the cervical segments. Regaining arm and hand function is the highest priority for persons with tetraplegia after cervical SCI. Given the tremendous impact that therapeutic changes of hand and arm function would have on the quality of their lives and since veterinary care leading to chronic cervical SCI survival became realizable, experimental research in nonhuman primates, canines, felines, rats, and mice is being conducted. The experiments aim to determine the extent and anatomical–physiological mechanisms of spontaneous hand and arm (also referred to as forepaw and forearm or forelimb) function recovery, and the lack thereof, as well as to develop treatments to improve it. The purposes of this chapter are (1) to report on forelimb functional assessment tests that have been developed and adapted for experiments using various strains of adult rats and mice with cervical SCI and (2) to provide general protocols of some frequently used ones assessing general usage, tactile discrimination, and skilled movements to guide future investigations. These are the Limb-Use Asymmetry or Cylinder Test, Grip Strength Test, Tactile Stimulation Test, and the Staircase Test.