Abstract: ObjectiveTo study the optimum method to evaluate the motor function of cerebral palsy neonatal rats caused by intrauterine infection. Methods48 Wistar 17 d pregnant rats were consecutively injected with lipopolysacchide (LPS) (450 μg/kg) for 2 d (LPS group), and other 10 Wistar 17 d pregnant rats (control group) were injected with the same dose of saline. The neonatal rats were selected randomly in control group (A) (n=60) and LPS group (n=120), the latter was divided into intervention group (B1, n=60) and nonintervention group (B2, n=60). The CP rats were identified with neurobehavior detection on the 25th day. Then the CP rats in the B1 group (B1CP) continued their intervention, the CP rats in the B2 group (B2CP) and 10 rats random from group A (A′) were raised routinely. They were assessed with neurobehavior detection and improved BBB assessment on the 25th and 42nd day. ResultsThere were 7 CP rats in B1 group, and 13 in B2 group. There was significant difference in the scores of hanging test, slopes test, open-field experiment, resist captured reaction between the 25th and 42nd day in B1CP group (P<0.01), as well as in improved BBB assessment (P<0.01), but not in neurobehavior detection; while there was not significant difference in B2CP group and in A′ group in all the assessment above. ConclusionNot neurobehavior detection, but hanging test and BBB assessment, can be used to evaluate the motor function of cerebral palsy rats caused by intrauterine infection.

Key words: cerebral palsy, intrauterine infection, early intervention, motor function, BBB assessment