Hand Restraint Research Articles

Refinement of habituation procedures in diet-induced obese mice.

Orogastric gavage, while a common method for delivering experimental substances in mice, has been shown to induce stress. To minimize the associated stress with this procedure, sham gavage prior to the start of experiment is a common method for habiutating mice. We investigated whether handling and restraint could replace sham treatment in the acclimatization protocol. Mice were either undisturbed, hand-restrained for 10 s or sham-gavaged daily for six days prior to eight days of twice daily gavage. The results showed that repetitive restraint and gavage had no differences in body weight after eight days of treatment compared with the body weights at the start of treatment, whereas animals left undisturbed lost significant weight once treatment began. These data suggest that procedure refinement by replacing sham treatment with hand restraint is sufficient to acclimatize mice to the stress associated with gavage.

Comparison of Behavioral Responses to Manual Restraint Tests in Two Breeds of Japanese Native Chicken

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the characteristic of two native Japanese chicken breeds, Uzurao (UZ) and Chabo (CB) using two types of manual restraint tests for the detection of fearfulness. Each hen was grabbed by one hand or held in an underarm with mild pressure, whereas the other hand was used to restrain the legs. Thereafter, latencies to the first struggle and frequencies of struggling were recorded. The latency in UZ was shorter than that in CB (p 0.1). These findings demonstrate that UZ birds may be confirmed to respond less fearfully in fear-eliciting situations than CB birds and further suggest that the temperamental differences may correspond to genetic characteristics of breeds. Additionally, a newly developed technique, arm restraint, is useful to detec t fearfulness in chickens, similar to hand restraint.

An overview of the assisted reproduction and genome banking activities of White Oak Conservation Center, Yulee, FL, in the service of species conservation

Assisted reproduction includes simple strategies, such as oral progestin to maintain pregnancy and hormone monitoring to predict oestrus for breeding introductions, as well as complex procedures, such as oestrous synchronization and artificial insemination (AI). The primary focus of research at White Oak Conservation Center, Yulee, FL, has been to work towards techniques allowing movement of frozen semen to manage metapopulations rather than translocate animals. Using the Gerenuk Litocranius walleri walleri as a model for threatened antelope, oestrous synchronization and AI were refined to produce four live offspring (from six attempts) using hand restraint rather than anaesthesia for inseminations. Conversely, similar progress with Okapi Okapia johnstoni has been slower. Okapi sperm are highly susceptible to osmotic changes and the physical pressures of the freezing process, which has limited the ability to develop suitable cryopreservation protocols. Storage of frozen semen from highly threatened animals provides insurance against loss of the individual’s genes to the population and, if used for future insemination, can potentially provide new ‘founders’. Biomaterials from both species, including blood and blood products, are preserved in genome resource banks together with samples from other threatened species, including the Florida panther Felis concolor coryi. It is important to note that assisted reproduction in novel species requires significant commitment and continuity from zoological institutions for optimal results.

Interhemispheric Modulation Induced by Cortical Stimulation and Motor Training

Interhemispheric inhibition might be a beneficial cortico-cortical interaction, but also might be maladaptive in people with neurological disorders. One recently revisited technique that has been shown to be effective in improving motor function in people with stroke using interhemispheric modulation is transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of tDCS combined with unilateral motor training with contralateral hand restraint on interhemispheric inhibition between the dominant and nondominant hemispheres of the brain and on motor performance in participants who were healthy. This was a double-blind, prospective, single-center study with participants who were healthy. Twenty participants who were healthy were randomly assigned to receive either active or sham tDCS of the primary motor cortex (M1) bilaterally combined with unilateral motor training and contralateral hand restraint. A blinded rater assessed motor function and cortical excitability, including assessment of transcallosal inhibition (TCI). There was a larger increase in motor performance in the nondominant hand for the active tDCS group compared with the sham tDCS group. In addition, a decrease in cortical excitability in the dominant hemisphere and a decrease in TCI from the dominant to nondominant hemisphere were observed for the active tDCS group only. The TCI decrease in the active tDCS group was correlated with motor performance improvement for the nondominant hand. Limitations Limitations of this study included missing the effect of intracortical inhibition due to a floor effect, not using the optimal tDCS montage, and not being able to assess the effects of other variables such as gender due to the small sample size. The results indicate that tDCS enhances the effects of unilateral motor training and contralateral hand restraint on motor function, and this benefit is associated with a different mechanism of action characterized by bihemispheric modulation in which TCI from the dominant to the nondominant hemisphere is decreased. Transcranial direct current stimulation might be a useful tool to enhance the motor effects of constraint-induced movement therapy.

Constraint-Induced Therapy Versus Dose-Matched Control Intervention to Improve Motor Ability, Basic/Extended Daily Functions, and Quality of Life in Stroke

Background. Trials of constraint-induced movement therapy (CIT) to improve upper extremity function after stroke have usually not included an actively treated control group. Objective. This study compared a modified CIT intervention with a dose-matched control intervention that included restraint of the less affected hand and assessed for differences in motor and functional performance and health-related quality of life. Methods. This 2-group randomized controlled trial, using pretreatment and posttreatment measures, enrolled 32 patients within 6 to 40 months after onset of a first stroke (mean age, 55.7 years). They received either CIT (restraint of the less affected limb combined with intensive training of the affected limb for 2 hours daily 5 days per week for 3 weeks and restraint of the less affected hand for 5 hours outside of the rehabilitation training) or a conventional intervention with hand restraint for the same duration. Outcome measures were the Fugl-Meyer Assessment, Functional Independence Measure, Motor Activity Log, Nottingham Extended Activities of Daily Living Scale, and Stroke Impact Scale. Results. Compared with the control group, the CIT group exhibited significantly better performance in motor function, level of functional independence, mobility of extended activities during daily life, and health-related quality of life after treatment. Conclusions. The robust effects of this form of CIT were demonstrated in various aspects of outcome, including motor function, basic and extended functional ability, and quality of life.

Drug delivery through a chronically implanted stomach catheter improves efficiency of evaluating wake-promoting components

To avoid the stress encountered during oral drug administration, we implanted chronically a catheter into the stomach, and recorded electroencephalogram (EEG) and electromyogram, in freely moving rats to evaluate their sleep–wake pattern. Rats with catheters in their stomach did not exhibit any changes in sleep–wake profiles in terms of sleep amount, number of episodes and EEG power spectra. When administered through the catheter, caffeine (6 mg/kg) statistically increased wakefulness, as compared with the vehicle control. However, when given orally by hand restraint and gavage, it caused no increase in wakefulness, owing to the masking effect of this method, which caused increased wakefulness when saline was used by handling animals. These results indicate that oral administration through a chronic stomach catheter is a useful way for evaluating wake-promoting components.

Effects of postlesion experience on behavioral recovery and neurophysiologic reorganization after cortical injury in primates.

Previous studies have shown that after injury to the hand representation in primary motor cortex (M1), size of the spared hand representation decreased dramatically unless the unimpaired hand was restrained and monkeys received daily rehabilitative training using the impaired fingers. The goal of this study was to determine if restriction of the unimpaired hand was sufficient to retain spared hand area after injury or if retention of the spared area required repetitive use of the impaired limb. After infarct to the hand area of M1 in adult squirrel monkeys, the unimpaired hand was restrained by a mesh sleeve over the unimpaired arm. Monkeys did not receive rehabilitative training. Electrophysiologic maps of M1 were derived in anesthetized monkeys before infarct and 1 month after infarct by using intracortical microstimulation. One month after the lesion, the size of the hand representation had decreased. Areal changes were significantly smaller than those in animals in a previous study that had received daily repetitive training after infarct (p < 0.05). Areal changes were not different from those in a group of animals that received neither rehabilitative intervention nor hand restraint after injury. These results suggest that retention of hand area in M1 after a lesion requires repetitive use of the impaired hand.

Behavioral and naltrexone treatment of self-injurious behavior

Severe self-injurious behavior in a boy with severe mental retardation and autistic disorder was successfully treated with a behavioral treatment package following a trial of naltrexone to reduce self-injurious behavior. The subject was a 7-year-old boy who was hospitalized for self-injurious behavior, aggression, and a reported increased irritability. During baseline assessment, the subject was physically and verbally interrupted and redirected whenever he engaged in self-injurious behavior. During the first treatment phase, pediatric “no-no” splints were applied and systematic splint fading began. In addition, differential reinforcement of other behaviors (DRO) and a brief hand restraint were implemented. In the second treatment phase, naltrexone was administered with the continued use of systematic point fading, DRO and brief hand restraint. The third treatment phase consisted of a placebo trial and the same behavioral treatment. In the final phase, restraint fading continued and reinforcement was faded to a variable interval (VI)-3 minute schedule, as well as the use of brief hand restraint. This treatment package was effective in reducing this boy’s severe self-injurious behavior to zero upon discharge from the hospital. Follow-up data from the school indicated continued success with the use of the brief contingent hand restraint as well as reinforcement delivered on a VI-3 min schedule.

Effects of Visual Accessibility and Hand Restraint on Fluency of Gesticulator and Effectiveness of Message

The role of hand gestures in human communication was examined in an experiment that manipulated communicator-receiver visual accessibility and freedom of the communicator's hand movements. While gesturing occurred primarily during periods of speech rather than silence, the visual availability of 10 speakers' hand gestures did not significantly enhance receivers' ability to decode and act upon task-related messages. Hand restraint did not significantly affect speakers' verbal fluency or total verbal output. The mere visual presence of an interactant had a greater impact on speech disfluency than did hand restraint.

"Flipper" method of holding the hand for intravenous therapy.

To the Editor:— For many years the author has used a hand restraint made of adhesive tape which offers distinct advantages over the conventional ways used. Many physicians are unable to administer intravenous fluids into the hand veins because they do not obtain proper exposure of the veins. If they succeed in placing a needle in a vein they do not know how to anchor it securely. The author has found that scalp vein needles are particularly suitable for use with the flipper method (Fig 1). Depending upon the hand width, a 1 1/2- to 2-inch wide adhesive tape approximately 16 inches long is placed at the distal edge of the first metacarpophalangeal joints, and is continued along the dorsum of the fingers, avoiding the thumb. The tape is then extended about 6 inches beyond the tips of the fingers, being turned back on itself, adhesive side against adhesive