Longitudinal Cylinder Rearing Behavioral Data in a Mouse Stroke Model Across Multiple Drug Treatments

@article{PhysioNet-mouse-stroke-cylinder-rearing-1.0.0,
  author = {Jiang, Yunhao and Venkitaraman, Shreyas and Jung, Hee Ra and Blackwood, Spencer and Lee, Jake and {Ajay Jadav}, Arnav and Lee, David and Kamal, Aizad and Landsness, Eric C},
  title = {{Longitudinal Cylinder Rearing Behavioral Data in a Mouse Stroke Model Across Multiple Drug Treatments}},
  journal = {{PhysioNet}},
  year = {2026},
  month = mar,
  note = {Version 1.0.0},
  doi = {10.13026/8bnm-6e37},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.13026/8bnm-6e37}
}

Abstract

This dataset includes longitudinal data from 59 mice assigned to four drug treatment groups (lemborexant 10 mg/kg, lemborexant 30 mg/kg, zolpidem 30 mg/kg, and vehicle), assessed at five timepoints: baseline (pre-treatment), maximal deficit (post-stroke 48 hours), and weeks 2, 4, and 8 post-treatment. Designed to evaluate drug efficacy over time, the dataset captures functional or physiological changes across stroke acute and recovery phases via the behavioral test of cylinder rearing. The shared data specifically comprises 295 video recordings (.mp4) of these sessions, paired with corresponding frame-based annotation files (.csv) that classify paw usage (left, right, both, or neither) for each frame.

Background

Stroke recovery involves neuroplasticity and circuit reorganization, but natural repair is often limited [1]. Pharmacological interventions aim to enhance these processes by reducing inflammation, enhancing synaptic plasticity, or promoting neurogenesis [2, 3]. Evidence suggests that sleep, in particular, plays a role in these mechanisms and is often disrupted after stroke; thus, sleep medications are of interest as a potential pharmacological intervention [2, 4, 5, 6, 7]. The drugs examined in this study target these mechanisms, with recovery tracked over time in a mouse model to evaluate their effects on functional improvement [8, 9].

Methods

Overview: A total of 59 male mice were randomly assigned to four (control + 3 drugs) treatment groups and assessed at five timepoints: baseline, maximal deficit (post-stroke), and weeks 2, 4, and 8 post-treatment. Stroke was induced uniformly, and drugs were administered daily after the maximal deficit and before the 2-week timepoint. Functional assessments were conducted at each timepoint to track recovery across groups.

Drugs Used: 10 mL/kg 0.5% methylcellulose 400 (control), zolpidem 30 mg/kg (GABA-A receptor agonist), lemborexant 10 mg/kg and 30 mg/kg (dual orexin receptor antagonist).

Stroke Induction: We induced ischemic stroke in mice using optical fiber-induced photothrombosis. Briefly, we implanted a unilateral fiber optic cannula with a ceramic ferrule (RWD, Shenzhen; 0.50 NA, 200 µm diameter) in the left forelimb somatosensory cortex (ML: –2.20 mm; AP: – 0.10 mm; DV: –1.0 mm). To induce stroke, we intraperitoneally injected mice with 0.15 mL Rose Bengal (10 mg/mL), then after five minutes, we delivered a 532 nm, 15 mW solid-state laser through the implanted fiber optic cannula for 15 minutes while mice remained awake and freely behaving [10, 11]. To prevent light scatter, we sealed the connection between the fiber and patch cord with black nail polish. Mice without histologically confirmed infarcts were excluded from analysis.

$$\left( \frac{\text{rears using the left paw} - \text{rears using the right paw}} {\text{rears using the left paw} + \text{rears using the right paw} + \text{rears using both paws}} \right) \times 100$$

A higher, positive score indicates a motor deficit, as stroke was induced in the left somatosensory cortex, which impairs use of the right forepaw. Scores can range from -100 to 100 [12]. A rear was scored when the annotator could clearly determine whether the left, right, or both forepaws were splayed against the cylinder and bearing the mouse’s weight. A frame was labeled as “neither” if there were visual obstructions (e.g., glare, the mouse’s body, or liquid) or if the mouse was not using its forepaws to bear weight against the cylinder. Four human annotators contributed to manually scoring this dataset, following a consensus application of the criteria described above.

Data Description

The data includes 295 video recordings of the cylinder rearing experiment for 59 mice at 5 timepoints as well as the frame-based scores (left, right, both, neither) for each video. Each video is capped at 5 minutes and 15 FPS. Rearing scores are judged by paw usage within each frame (whether in contact or not).

The files are distributed across three .zip compression archives, which can be decompressed to form a single dataset directory. At the root level, this directory contains all_scores.csv (aggregated frame-based/consecutive scores for all recordings), all_scores_nonconsecutive.csv (aggregated event-based/nonconsecutive scores for all recordings), and drug_group_assignments.csv (assignments of each mouse, identified by eartag, to their respective treatment group).

The data is further organized into subdirectories based on timepoints and mouse IDs. The timepoints are abbreviated as: bsl (baseline/pre-treatment), md (maximal deficit/48 hours post-stroke), wk2 (2 weeks post-treatment), wk4 (4 weeks post-treatment), and wk8 (8 weeks post-treatment). Within each dataset/[timepoint]/[eartag]/ directory, you will find [timepoint]_[eartag].mp4, which is the video recording of the cylinder rearing test, and [timepoint]_[eartag]_score.csv, which is the annotation file for that recording.

Looking into the individual score files (.csv), the first column (label) contains the frame-by-frame classifications. The columns l (left), r (right), b (both), and n (neither) provide summary statistics in the first two data rows. The first data row represents frame-based counts, indicating the total number of frames assigned to each category. The second data row represents event-based counts, showing the number of distinct functional events where consecutive frames with the same label are counted as a single event (i.e., nonconsecutive counts). The subsequent rows in the label column list the specific classification for each corresponding video frame.

Usage Notes

This dataset is intended to be used for ML model training on cylinder rearing recordings to potentially address the problem of automated scoring. The input data would be each video frame and the output data are the corresponding labels. The dataset is also open to any other related usage. Statistics are included in each score file for easier usage.

There are limitations to the dataset that should be taken into account. At the start of each video, there is a card that is displayed on the screen which indicates the mouse number. All videos are in a bottom-up view format, so there are some rears that are unscoreable.

Release Notes

Version 1.0.0: Initial public release of the dataset.

Ethics

All experiments complied with the U.S. Public Health Service Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals and were approved by the Washington University Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (protocol number 23-0332).

Acknowledgements

Funding provided by NIH/NINDS 1 K08 NS109292-01A1.

Conflicts of Interest

There are no conflicts of interest.

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