Monitoring of motor disorders in 7-day-old rats with severe hypoxic-ischemic injury of the brain.

Seven-day old rats were subjected to unilateral ligation of the common carotid artery followed by 2-h exposure to a gas mixture consisting of 8% oxygen and 92% nitrogen. Locomotor function of rats was monitored weekly. Functional deficit in these animals persisted for at least 3 months. The exercise tests of rotarod, hanging, and narrowing track were most informative. Our results can be used in preclinical studies of new drugs for the therapy of perinatal brain injury.