Biomaterial Database

Absence of hind limb tactile placing in spinal cats and kittens. 1983

N S Bradley, and J L Smith, and J R Villablanca

Tactile placing and associated responses of the fore and hind paws to a light tactile stimulus were studied in normal young-adult cats and kittens and their spinal littermates. All spinal transections were performed at T12 on the 14th postnatal day. In the first study, responses of normal and spinal young-adult cats were compared at 9 to 10 months of age. Frequency of forelimb tactile placing (FL-TP) was similar for both groups, but hind limb tactile placing (HL-TP), seldom elicited in the normal cats, was never elicited in the spinal cats. Due to the absence of HL-TP in the spinal young-adult cats, a second study was conducted. Kittens, 1 to 62 days of age, were tested to determine if tactile placing was present prior to supraspinal maturation. The initial withdrawal response to the light tactile stimulus was equally developed in forelimbs and hind limbs at birth. In normal kittens, development of FL-TP preceded that of HL-TP by 2 weeks. During the first week after transection, forelimb responses of spinal kittens were more frequent than those of their normal littermates, suggesting an enhancement of motor responses proximal to the lesion, the difference decreasing thereafter. Frequency of hind limb withdrawal was not immediately altered after transection, and airstepping was easily triggered within 48 h after cordotomy. During tactile-triggered airstepping, the hind paw occasionally contacted the placing surface, but HL-TP was not observed in spinal kittens during the testing period. The absence of HL-TP in all spinal cats tested suggests that tactile placing is not a spinal reflex.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D010812	Physical Stimulation	Act of eliciting a response from a person or organism through physical contact.	Stimulation, Physical,Physical Stimulations,Stimulations, Physical
D002415	Cats	The domestic cat, Felis catus, of the carnivore family FELIDAE, comprising over 30 different breeds. The domestic cat is descended primarily from the wild cat of Africa and extreme southwestern Asia. Though probably present in towns in Palestine as long ago as 7000 years, actual domestication occurred in Egypt about 4000 years ago. (From Walker's Mammals of the World, 6th ed, p801)	Felis catus,Felis domesticus,Domestic Cats,Felis domestica,Felis sylvestris catus,Cat,Cat, Domestic,Cats, Domestic,Domestic Cat
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
D005552	Forelimb	A front limb of a quadruped. (The Random House College Dictionary, 1980)	Forelimbs
D006614	Hindlimb	Either of two extremities of four-footed non-primate land animals. It usually consists of a FEMUR; TIBIA; and FIBULA; tarsals; METATARSALS; and TOES. (From Storer et al., General Zoology, 6th ed, p73)	Hindlimbs
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
D000831	Animals, Newborn	Refers to animals in the period of time just after birth.	Animals, Neonatal,Animal, Neonatal,Animal, Newborn,Neonatal Animal,Neonatal Animals,Newborn Animal,Newborn Animals
D014110	Touch	Sensation of making physical contact with objects, animate or inanimate. Tactile stimuli are detected by MECHANORECEPTORS in the skin and mucous membranes.	Tactile Sense,Sense of Touch,Taction,Sense, Tactile,Senses, Tactile,Tactile Senses,Tactions,Touch Sense,Touch Senses