Rodent Skilled Reaching for Modeling Pathological Conditions of the Human Motor System

Almost all nervous system motor disorders result in impaired use of the upper limb. Skilled reaching, including the ability to reach for, grasp, and eat a piece of food (reach-to-eat), when impaired, limits patient independence and quality of life. The present paper describes a rat preclinical model of skilled reaching that is useful for investigating human motor system pathology and potential therapies. Rat skilled reaching is described using end-point measures of success, scoring of the movement, and biometric measures. The chapter also presents arguments justifying the model in relation to nervous system organization and shows how the model applies to a number of human motor system pathologies, including stroke, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, and spinal cord injury.