Rotarod Test
In the Rotarod Test motor coordination and balance can be investigated. For the test the mouse is placed on a rotating drum of the test apparatus on which it must walk foward to stay upright.
Technique to transfer mice to drum
It is a common code of practice to place the mouse on the drum by holding it by its tail (Deacon 2013), though tail handling can cause stress and anxiety in mice (Hurst and West 2010). However, if mice are used to be handled by a combination of tunnel and cup methods, they can be gently transfered from the experimenter's hand to the drum: When the mouse sits on the cupped hand, pronate the hand in an angle of 90° so that the mouse climbs on the thumb and index finger. Then, locate the hand in front of the rotating drum so that the mouse can climb on it. At the end of the test, those mice that have not fallen off the rotarod can be transferred by the cup technique to their home cage: Pronate the hand in an angle of 90° and place it in front of the mouse or behind it, allowing the animal to climb on the hand.
Please note that the impact of the handling techniques on the results of the Rotarod Test has not been investigated yet.
