Objective and quantitative evaluation of primate model of Parkinson´s disease

Monkeys treated with 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,5,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) are currently the best animal model for Parkinson´s disease (PD) and have been widely used for physiological and pharmacological investigations. However, objective and quantitative assessments have not been established for grading their motor behaviors. In order to develop a method for an unbiased evaluation, we performed a video-based assessment, used qualitative rating scales, and carried out an in vivo investigation of dopamine (DA) transporter binding in systemically MPTP-treated monkeys. The video-based analysis of spontaneous movement clearly demonstrated a significant correlation with the qualitative rating score. These results indicate that a video-based analysis can be a reliable tool for an objective and quantitative evaluation of motor dysfunction of MPTP-treated monkeys.