EFFECTS OF FETAL STRIATAL TRANSPLANTS ON MOTOR ASYMMETRY IN IBOTENIC ACID MODEL OF HUNTINGTONS-DISEASE

Recently, we proposed the elevated body swing test (EBST) as a drug-fr ee behavioral parameter of motor asymmetry in animals with unilateral striatal lesions. We demonstrated that rats, receiving unilateral exci totoxic lesions in the striatum, exhibit a biased swing behavior (ipsi lateral to the lesion) which is stable up to 56 days postlesion. To fu rther extend the efficacy of the EBST in the present study, we monitor ed the recovery of the biased swing behavior following fetal striatal transplants in animals unilaterally lesioned with ibotenic acid in the striatum. At 2 months postlesion, Sprague-Dawley male rats that displ ayed 70% or greater biased swing behavior were transplanted with eithe r cell suspension of rat fetal striatal lateral eminence (16-day-old g estational age) or hibernation medium. EBST was conducted as early as 7 days posttransplant and once a week thereafter. Animals transplanted with the fetal tissue showed a normalization of the asymmetrical swin g behavior (at least 50% to each side) throughout the posttransplant p eriod. Conversely, animals that were transplanted solely with medium c ontinued to display a biased swing behavior. Thus, the EBST is a sensi tive behavioral test in characterizing recovery of motor function in s triatal lesioned animals that have received fetal striatal transplants .