Rotarod Test for Motor Performance

To evaluate the motor performance, mice were submitted to the rotarod test, as previously described [32 (link)]. The rotarod apparatus (Insight, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil) consisted of a bar with a diameter of 3 cm, subdivided into five compartments. The bar rotated at a constant speed of 8 revolutions per min. The animals were selected 24 h previously by eliminating those mice that did not remain on the bar for two consecutive periods of 120 s [26 (link)]. At the test day, mice from different experimental groups were placed on a rotating rod and the resistance to falling was measured up to 120 s. Mice treated with diazepam (10 mg/kg; Cristália, Itapira, Brazil), the reference drug of the test, were placed on a rotating rod 1 h after treatment. The results are expressed as the average time (s) the animals remained on the rotarod in each group.