Deficits in fine motor skills in a genetic animal model of ADHD
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RESEARCH
Open Access
Deficits in fine motor skills in a genetic animal model of ADHD Yu Qian1,2, Gefei Lei1,3, Francisco X Castellanos4,5, Hans Forssberg2,3, Rochellys Diaz Heijtz1,2,3*
Abstract Background: In an attempt to model some behavioral aspects of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), we examined whether an existing genetic animal model of ADHD is valid for investigating not only locomotor hyperactivity, but also more complex motor coordination problems displayed by the majority of children with ADHD. Methods: We subjected young adolescent Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats (SHRs), the most commonly used genetic animal model of ADHD, to a battery of tests for motor activity, gross motor coordination, and skilled reaching. Wistar (WIS) rats were used as controls. Results: Similar to children with ADHD, young adolescent SHRs displayed locomotor hyperactivity in a familiar, but not in a novel environment. They also had lower performance scores in a complex skilled reaching task when compared to WIS rats, especially in the most sensitive measure of skilled performance (i.e., single attempt success). In contrast, their gross motor performance on a Rota-Rod test was similar to that of WIS rats. Conclusion: The results support the notion that the SHR strain is a useful animal model system to investigate potential molecular mechanisms underlying fine motor skill problems in children with ADHD.
Background Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most prevalent neurodevelopmental disorders, affecting approximately 3-9% of all school-aged children [1]. It is characterized by a persistent, developmentally inappropriate pattern of hyperactivity, inattention and impulsivity that impairs academic performance, social interaction, and family function. A high percentage of children with ADHD (30-50%) continue to experience symptoms through adolescence and into adulthood [2]. Besides the cardinal symptoms of ADHD, poor motor coordination or motor performance commonly cooccurs in children with ADHD. The wide range of motor problems includes excessive overflow movements, poor timing, force control and greater variability in motor outcomes, poor balancing, difficulties in both learning and performing a variety of motor skills (e.g., tying shoes, playing sports), and deficits in fine motor skills (e.g., poor handwriting) (see [3] and references * Correspondence: [email protected] 1 Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, S-171 77, Stockholm, Sweden Full list of author information is available at the end of the article
therein). Clinical and epidemiological studies indicate that up to 50% of children with ADHD display motor coordination problems consistent with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) [4-9]. The typical feature of DCD involves a marked impairment in the performance of motor skills that is not due to general intellectual, sensory, or motor neurological impairment. Despite the linking of poor motor performance to poor academic performance and social functioning in children a
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