Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42419464›Full record

ArticleBehavioural brain research2026

Rigorous validation of paw preference using three complementary behavioral assays in Sprague Dawley rats.

Dipesh Pokharel, Khoi Le, Dilshan Beligala, Thyagarajan Subramanian, Kala Venkiteswaran

Abstract readValidation Study
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Behavioural brain research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Dipesh PokharelDepartment of Neurosciences and Psychiatry, The University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, Toledo, OH 43614, USA; College of Medicine, The University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, Toledo, OH 43614, USA; Department of Neurology, The University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, Toledo, OH 43614, USA.
Khoi LeDepartment of Neurology, The University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, Toledo, OH 43614, USA.
Dilshan BeligalaDepartment of Biology, Ohio Northern University, School of Health, Life Sciences, and Education, Ada, OH 45810, USA.
Thyagarajan SubramanianDepartment of Neurology, Howard University, Washington, DC 20059, USA.
Kala VenkiteswaranDepartment of Neurosciences and Psychiatry, The University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, Toledo, OH 43614, USA; Department of Neurology, The University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, Toledo, OH 43614, USA. Electronic address: Kala.Venkiteswaran@utoledo.edu.

Funding

Gut-brain axis in Parkinson's diseaseR01DK124098 · NIDDK · UNIVERSITY OF TOLEDO HEALTH SCI CAMPUS · PI BROWNING, KIRSTEEN NAIRN, SUBRAMANIAN, THYAGARAJAN · 2020 to 2025
$2.6M
Optogenetic and Chemogenetic Dissection of Cell TransplantsR01NS104565 · NINDS · UNIVERSITY OF TOLEDO HEALTH SCI CAMPUS · PI SUBRAMANIAN, THYAGARAJAN · 2018 to 2022
$1.8M
NIDDK NIH HHS R01 DK124098NINDS NIH HHS R01 NS104565
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Paw preference, or handedness, is a widely studied behavioral trait used to assess lateralization and motor function in rodents. This study aimed to determine the consistency and reliability of three commonly used behavioral tests to rigorously assess paw preference: the Collins Test, the Staircase Test, and the Pawedness Trait Test. Thirty Sprague Dawley rats (12-48 weeks; 20 females, 10 males) were subjected to all three behavioral tests. Paw uses were recorded, and the laterality index was calculated for each test. Additional cohorts of younger rats (6-9 weeks; 45 females, 45 males) and older rats (12-48 weeks; 38 females, 45 males) were tested to assess the effects of age and sex on paw preference. ANOVA, Fleiss', and pairwise Cohen's Kappa were used for statistical analysis. All three tests yielded comparable measures of paw preference (ANOVA, p = 0.801). Substantial inter-test agreement was demonstrated by Fleiss' kappa (κ = 0.761, p = 3.93 × 10⁻¹²). Paw preference did not significantly vary by age or sex, and the distribution of left, right, and ambidextrous preference categories aligned with existing literature. The Collins, Staircase, and Pawedness Trait Tests provide consistent, reliable assessments of paw preference in Sprague Dawley rats. These validated behavioral assays can serve as essential tools for preclinical research, including but not limited to models of motor asymmetry observed in stroke, cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury, and language lateralization, as well as neurodegenerative diseases.

Indexed as

Behavior, AnimalFunctional LateralityAge FactorsAnalysis of VarianceAnimalsFemaleMaleRatsRats, Sprague-DawleyReproducibility of ResultsCollins TestFunctional cerebral asymmetriesHandednessHemispheric dominanceLimb dominancePawedness Trait TestStaircase Test

Identifiers

PMID42419464

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.