Combination of Defined CatWalk Gait Parameters for Predictive Locomotion Recovery in Experimental Spinal Cord Injury Rat Models

Timotius, Ivanna K.; Bieler, Lara; Couillard‐Després, Sébastien; Sandner, Beatrice; Garcı́a-Ovejero, Daniel; Labombarda, Florencia; Estrada, Veronica; Müller, Hans; Winkler, Jürgen; Klucken, Jochen; Eskofier, Bjoern M.; Weidner, Norbert; Puttagunta, Radhika

doi:10.1523/eneuro.0497-20.2021

Cited by 22 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 58 publications

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“…Indeed, simple combinations of CatWalk parameters have been employed in a variety of disorders to assess gait, such as baseline parameter ratio, left–right-parameter ratio, left–right-parameter averaging, and subtraction 67 – 73 . Recently, Timotius et al developed a CatWalk gait parameter combination for sensitive and efficient gait recovery assessment in a rat thoracic spinal cord injury model by combining nine of the topmost parameters into a gait index score based on linear discriminant analysis 74 . The analysis of different combinations of gait parameters more efficiently represents the fully-coordinated motion of gait than single parameters and enhances the evaluation power of gait performance in rodent models of neuropsychiatric disorders.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gait performance of adolescent mice assessed by the CatWalk XT depends on age, strain and sex and correlates with speed and body weight

Pitzer

Kurpiers

Eltokhi

2021

Sci Rep

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The automatization of behavioral tests assessing motor activity in rodent models is important for providing robust and reproducible results and evaluating new therapeutics. The CatWalk system is an observer-independent, automated and computerized technique for the assessment of gait performance in rodents. This method has previously been used in adult rodent models of CNS-based movement disorders such as Parkinson’s and Huntington’s diseases. As motor and gait abnormalities in neuropsychiatric disorders are observed during infancy and adolescence, it became important to validate the CatWalk XT in the gait analysis of adolescent mice and unravel factors that may cause variations in gait performance. Three adolescent wild-type inbred mouse strains, C57BL/6N, DBA/2 and FVB/N, were tested using the CatWalk XT (Version 10.6) for suitable detection settings to characterize several gait parameters at P32 and P42. The same detection settings being suitable for C57BL/6N and DBA/2 mice allowed a direct comparison between the two strains. On the other hand, due to their increased body weight and size, FVB/N mice required different detection settings. The CatWalk XT reliably measured the temporal, spatial, and interlimb coordination parameters in the investigated strains during adolescence. Additionally, significant effects of sex, development, speed and body weight within each strain confirmed the sensitivity of motor and gait functions to these factors. The CatWalk gait analysis of rodents during adolescence, taking the effect of age, strain, sex, speed and body weight into consideration, will decrease intra-laboratory discrepancies and increase the face validity of rodent models of neuropsychiatric disorders.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gait performance of adolescent mice assessed by the CatWalk XT depends on age, strain and sex and correlates with speed and body weight

Pitzer

Kurpiers

Eltokhi

2021

Sci Rep

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“…Each paw was documented individually. In addition to the evaluation of single gait parameters, we compared the treatment groups using a p(LDA) we recently described (Timotius et al, 2021 ), which is a linear discriminant analysis providing a weighted combination of the nine most SCI-affected Catwalk parameters. Importantly, two rats of the vehicle group had to be excluded from the analysis for the 3 weeks post-injury time point since their level of locomotor recovery, leading to insufficient stepping ability, was too low to be analyzed using the CatWalk system.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Enhancing Functional Recovery Through Intralesional Application of Extracellular Vesicles in a Rat Model of Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury

Romanelli

Bieler

Heimel

et al. 2022

Front. Cell. Neurosci.

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Local inflammation plays a pivotal role in the process of secondary damage after spinal cord injury. We recently reported that acute intravenous application of extracellular vesicles (EVs) secreted by human umbilical cord mesenchymal stromal cells dampens the induction of inflammatory processes following traumatic spinal cord injury. However, systemic application of EVs is associated with delayed delivery to the site of injury and the necessity for high doses to reach therapeutic levels locally. To resolve these two constraints, we injected EVs directly at the lesion site acutely after spinal cord injury. We report here that intralesional application of EVs resulted in a more robust improvement of motor recovery, assessed with the BBB score and sub-score, as compared to the intravenous delivery. Moreover, the intralesional application was more potent in reducing inflammation and scarring after spinal cord injury than intravenous administration. Hence, the development of EV-based therapy for spinal cord injury should aim at an early application of vesicles close to the lesion.

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“…In a spinal cord injury study, Timotius et al [22] recently showed the importance of using a combination of CW parameters, which is superior to single parameter analysis. They combined nine of the most used parameters into a gait index score based on linear discriminant analysis (LDA) that is not affected by factors such as sex, size, and strain.…”

Section: Othermentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The linear combination of several CW parameters into a SCI gait index score can better assess the gait recovery in experiments [22]. As it was shown in Section 2 of this review, Timotius et al developed a linear discriminant analysis (LDA) method for evaluating a severe SCI in rats at the thoracic level.…”

Section: Spinal Cord Injurymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Gait Analysis Using Animal Models of Peripheral Nerve and Spinal Cord Injuries

2021

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The present review discusses recent data regarding rodent models of spinal cord and peripheral nerve injuries in terms of gait analysis using the CatWalk system (CW), an automated and exceptionally reliable system for assessing gait abnormalities and motor coordination. CW is a good tool for both studying improvements in the walking of animals after suffering a peripheral nerve and spinal cord lesion and to select the best therapies and procedures after tissue destruction, given that it provides objective and quantifiable data. Most studies using CW for gait analysis that were published in recent years focus on injuries inflicted in the peripheral nerve, spinal cord, and brain. CW has been used in the assessment of rodent motor function through high-resolution videos, whereby specialized software was used to measure several aspects of the animal’s gait, and the main characteristics of the automated system are presented here. CW was developed to assess footfall and gait changes, and it can calculate many parameters based on footprints and time. However, given the multitude of parameters, it is necessary to evaluate which are the most important under the employed experimental circumstances. By selecting appropriate animal models and evaluating peripheral nerve and spinal cord lesion regeneration using standardized methods, suggestions for new therapies can be provided, which represents the translation of this methodology into clinical application.

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Combination of Defined CatWalk Gait Parameters for Predictive Locomotion Recovery in Experimental Spinal Cord Injury Rat Models

Abstract: were involved in writing; Everyone was involved in reviewing and editing the manuscript.

Cited by 22 publications

References 58 publications

Gait performance of adolescent mice assessed by the CatWalk XT depends on age, strain and sex and correlates with speed and body weight

Gait performance of adolescent mice assessed by the CatWalk XT depends on age, strain and sex and correlates with speed and body weight

Enhancing Functional Recovery Through Intralesional Application of Extracellular Vesicles in a Rat Model of Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury

Gait Analysis Using Animal Models of Peripheral Nerve and Spinal Cord Injuries

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