Biomaterial Database

Reflex oral activity in decerebrate rats of different age. 1979

A J Thexton, and C Griffiths

Rats decerebrated at different ages (4 days to greater than 100 days) were tested for a rhythmic reflex 'suckling' response and for a simple digastric reflex. The ease with which the 'suckling' response could be elicited decreased with increasing age; the time course of this change approximated to that of changing characteristics of the digastric reflex. The mean latency of the simple reflex response decreased non-linearly from 70 msec in the 4 day postpartum animal to 5 msec in the adult animal; the duration of the response also decreased from 25 msec to 10 msec but this change took place mainly between 8 and 15 days postpartum. The latency of the digastric response also shortened in animals decerebrated on day 4 and kept for 2 days. It was concluded that the observed changes in the digastric reflex occurred independently of encephalic structures.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008046	Lip	Either of the two fleshy, full-blooded margins of the mouth.	Philtrum,Lips,Philtrums
D010812	Physical Stimulation	Act of eliciting a response from a person or organism through physical contact.	Stimulation, Physical,Physical Stimulations,Stimulations, Physical
D012018	Reflex	An involuntary movement or exercise of function in a part, excited in response to a stimulus applied to the periphery and transmitted to the brain or spinal cord.
D001921	Brain	The part of CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM that is contained within the skull (CRANIUM). Arising from the NEURAL TUBE, the embryonic brain is comprised of three major parts including PROSENCEPHALON (the forebrain); MESENCEPHALON (the midbrain); and RHOMBENCEPHALON (the hindbrain). The developed brain consists of CEREBRUM; CEREBELLUM; and other structures in the BRAIN STEM.	Encephalon
D003655	Decerebrate State	A condition characterized by abnormal posturing of the limbs that is associated with injury to the brainstem. This may occur as a clinical manifestation or induced experimentally in animals. The extensor reflexes are exaggerated leading to rigid extension of the limbs accompanied by hyperreflexia and opisthotonus. This condition is usually caused by lesions which occur in the region of the brainstem that lies between the red nuclei and the vestibular nuclei. In contrast, decorticate rigidity is characterized by flexion of the elbows and wrists with extension of the legs and feet. The causative lesion for this condition is located above the red nuclei and usually consists of diffuse cerebral damage. (From Adams et al., Principles of Neurology, 6th ed, p358)	Decerebrate Posturing,Decorticate Rigidity,Decorticate State,Rigidity, Decerebrate,Rigidity, Decorticate,Decerebrate Posturings,Decerebrate Rigidity,Decerebrate States,Decorticate Rigidities,Decorticate States,Posturing, Decerebrate,Posturings, Decerebrate,Rigidities, Decorticate,State, Decerebrate,States, Decerebrate
D000375	Aging	The gradual irreversible changes in structure and function of an organism that occur as a result of the passage of time.	Senescence,Aging, Biological,Biological Aging
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D013391	Sucking Behavior	Any suction exerted by the mouth; response of the mammalian infant to draw milk from the breast. Includes sucking on inanimate objects. Not to be used for thumb sucking, which is indexed under fingersucking.	Behavior, Sucking,Behaviors, Sucking,Sucking Behaviors
D051381	Rats	The common name for the genus Rattus.	Rattus,Rats, Laboratory,Rats, Norway,Rattus norvegicus,Laboratory Rat,Laboratory Rats,Norway Rat,Norway Rats,Rat,Rat, Laboratory,Rat, Norway,norvegicus, Rattus