Motor assessment of developing common marmosets  

作　　者：Yiwen Wang Qin Fang Neng Gong 

机构地区：[1]School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University [2]Institute of Neuroscience and State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences ChineseAcademy of Sciences

出　　处：《Neuroscience Bulletin》2014年第3期387-393,共7页神经科学通报（英文版）

基　　金：supported by the Youth Innovation Promotion Association of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and an SA-SIBS scholarship to NG;the MoST 973 Program of China (2011CBA00400);the Strategic Priority Research Program of the CAS (XDB02020100)

摘　　要：Motor development has been extensively studied in human infants and children, with several established scales for the evaluation of motor functions. However, the study of the neuronal mechanisms underlying human motor development is hampered by the lack of good animal models. The common marmoset （Callithrix jacchus）, a small New World monkey, has recently attracted much attention as a potential non- human primate model for understanding human physiology and diseases. However, little is known about its gross motor development. In the present study, we found that marmosets have a critical period for motor development in postnatal weeks 2 to 5, and acquire most of their motor skills by 8 weeks of age. We also developed methods to assess their motor functions, which will be useful for the evaluation of motor performance in marmoset models of human diseases. In addition, we found that marmosets exhibit a ＂head-to-tail＂ sequence of motor development similar to that found in humans, further supporting the notion that they provide a good animal model for studying the neuronal mechanisms underlying human motor development.Motor development has been extensively studied in human infants and children, with several established scales for the evaluation of motor functions. However, the study of the neuronal mechanisms underlying human motor development is hampered by the lack of good animal models. The common marmoset （Callithrix jacchus）, a small New World monkey, has recently attracted much attention as a potential non- human primate model for understanding human physiology and diseases. However, little is known about its gross motor development. In the present study, we found that marmosets have a critical period for motor development in postnatal weeks 2 to 5, and acquire most of their motor skills by 8 weeks of age. We also developed methods to assess their motor functions, which will be useful for the evaluation of motor performance in marmoset models of human diseases. In addition, we found that marmosets exhibit a ＂head-to-tail＂ sequence of motor development similar to that found in humans, further supporting the notion that they provide a good animal model for studying the neuronal mechanisms underlying human motor development.

关 键 词：MARMOSET animal model motor development motor behavior 

分 类 号：R338[医药卫生—人体生理学] R-332[医药卫生—基础医学]