J Neurosci Methods, 2016 · DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2016.04.023 · Published: August 1, 2016
This research adapted a locomotor scale, the Basso Beattie Bresnahan (BBB) scale, for use in dogs with spinal cord injuries (SCI). The original BBB scale was designed for rats. The adapted scale, called the canine BBB (cBBB), accounts for differences in how dogs and rats move. The cBBB was tested on dogs with SCI to see if it could effectively measure their recovery over 30 days. The study found that the cBBB scale is a useful tool for assessing locomotor recovery in dogs with SCI. It correlates well with other existing scales and can detect changes in a dog's movement abilities over time.
The cBBB scale provides a more accurate and reliable method for assessing locomotor recovery in dogs with SCI, leading to better evaluation of treatment efficacy.
The cBBB scale can be used in veterinary clinical trials to test interventions for SCI before they are introduced to humans, bridging the gap between rodent models and human patients.
The precise operational definitions of the cBBB scale may ease administration compared to other available canine locomotor indices, leading to a more standardized approach across labs/clinics.