NEUROBEHAVIORAL EVALUATION OF LURCHER MUTANT MICE DURING ONTOGENY

Lurcher mutant mice were compared to normal littermate controls for bo dy weight, body righting, negative geotropism, sensorimotor coordinati on (rotating grid, wire suspension, rotorod), and visuomotor coordinat ion requiring swimming toward a pole during postnatal (P) days 0-30. L urcher mutants had a lower body weight on P20-P30 and were slower befo re performing the complete body righting response on P13-P30. Because of postural instability during the negative geotropism test, lurcher m utants turned quicker up the slope than normal mice. The mutants fell sooner from the rotating grid on P11-P14, from the horizontal wire on P15-P16, and from the rotorod on P14-P30. Lurcher mutants were also sl ower before swimming to the pole or climbing to the top of the pole an d were inferior in pole climbing height on P22-P30. These results indi cate test-selective and time-selective neurobehavioral deficits during ontogeny in a spontaneous cerebellar mutant.