2.7.5. Rota-rod test ( RRT )
The rota-rod procedure was described by Dunham and Miya (1956) and is suitable for detecting motor impairment due to pharmacological agents such as skeletal muscle relaxants or central nervous system depressants. The apparatus consisted of a nonslippery plastic rod, 3.0 cm in diameter and 50 cm in length, rotating at 5 rpm at a height of 25 cm. Immediately after the LDB, each mouse was placed on the apparatus to register the total time it performed on the rotating bar in three successive trials totalling 1 min. To avoid a bias on account of inability not related to drug treatment, one day prior to testing animals were evaluated, using the same conditions as those in the test, to select those that had the ability to walk on the bar.