Measurement of Canine Ataxic Gait Patterns Using Body-Worn Smartphone Sensor Data

Engelsman, Daniel; Sherif, Tamara; Meller, Sebastian; Twele, Friederike; Klein, Itzik; Zamansky, Anna; Volk, Holger A.

doi:10.3389/fvets.2022.912253

Cited by 7 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…Even though gait analysis on a treadmill was not invasive nor distressful for participating dogs, the expenditure of time and work for data collection and analysis was proportionally high. Body-worn sensors and machine learning techniques might be a more practical alternative for routine clinical use, even though the number of gait parameters measured could be limited ( 43 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantification of phenobarbital-induced ataxia in dogs with idiopathic epilepsy

Sherif,

Twele,

Meller

et al. 2023

Front. Vet. Sci.

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Ataxia is a clinical sign seen in several neurological diseases and has been reported as an adverse effect of anti-seizure medication such as phenobarbital (PB). Efforts to objectify canine ataxia in order to provide appropriate treatment or monitor adverse effects of drugs remain limited. Automated quantitative gait analysis can be useful for the acquisition of objective data for the evaluation and monitoring of ataxia in dogs. The aim of this prospective clinical study was to examine the gait characteristics of dogs with PB induced ataxia and compare them with healthy dogs using a computer- and treadmill-based gait analysis system. Six healthy dogs and five dogs with idiopathic epilepsy (IE) with PB-induced ataxia underwent video- and computer-assisted gait analysis during slow walking (maximum speed of 0.7 m/s) on a treadmill with four ground reaction force plates (one plate per limb). Kinetic and spatio-temporal gait parameters of dogs’ locomotion were analyzed, including individually calculated coefficients of variation. Dogs with IE treated with PB showed higher variability in spatio-temporal but not in kinetic gait parameters. Double support phase of gait cycles was increased on the cost of single support and swing phases. Body weight standardized ground reaction forces in vertical, craniocaudal, and mediolateral direction were severely affected by ataxia. Compensatory mechanisms in locomotion of dogs with PB-induced ataxia included spatio-temporal and kinetic gait characteristics, most likely in order to compensate imbalance caused by limb incoordination.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantification of phenobarbital-induced ataxia in dogs with idiopathic epilepsy

Sherif,

Twele,

Meller

et al. 2023

Front. Vet. Sci.

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“…In contrast to PB-treated ataxic dogs with IE in a similar previous study ( 11 ), gait parameters and their variability were more affected and compensatory mechanisms seem less sufficient in dogs with SCI. Treadmill analysis was well tolerated and not invasive nor distressful for participating dogs and could complement gait analysis systems using body-worn sensors and machine learning techniques ( 54 ). Gait analysis as performed in this study could be an alternative tool for follow-up monitoring studies on long-term functional outcome of dogs with SCI, before and after neurosurgical intervention.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantification of spinal ataxia in dogs with thoracolumbar spinal cord injury

Sherif,

Twele,

Meller

et al. 2023

Front. Vet. Sci.

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The clinical sign of ataxia is related to several neurological diseases and is seen in conjunction with paresis in dogs with spinal cord injury (SCI). Endeavours to objectify canine spinal ataxia in SCI remain limited. The aim of this clinical study was to determine and quantify differences between gait characteristics of ataxic dogs with thoracolumbar myelopathy and healthy control dogs using a computer-and treadmill-based gait analysis system. Five dogs with spinal ataxia and six healthy dogs underwent video-and computer-assisted gait analysis while walking on a four-ground reaction force plate treadmill system (maximum speed of 0.7 m/s). Spatio-temporal and kinetic gait characteristics regarding the dogs’ locomotion were analysed with a focus on the individual coefficient of variation (CV), as a potential measure for quantification of the level of ataxia. Ataxic dogs with thoracolumbar SCI showed no effect on symmetry indices but higher variability in spatio-temporal and kinetic gait parameters mainly in the pelvic, but also in the thoracic limbs. Double support phase of the individual limb was prolonged in SCI dogs at the cost of the single support and swing phase. Reduced peaks of ground reaction forces (GRF) could potentially be explained by reduction of muscle strength, as a strategy of avoiding falling by taking enthusiastic steps, or by alteration of the rhythmogenic spinal circuits between the pelvic and thoracic limb pattern generators.

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“…Within ACI research, canine computer interaction has emerged as an important and popular sub-field. Studies in canine computer interaction include -the development of wearable sensors to track data such as respiration [48], heart-rate [49,50], and posture [51]; environmental sensors such as cameras that monitor activity levels [52] and facial expressions [53]; and human-canine interfaces that enable communication across distances through the use of haptics [54], and custom devices [55][56][57]. Increasingly, sophisticated signal processing and machine learning models are being introduced to allow for insight and inferences that were previously inaccessible [53,58].…”

Section: Canine Computer Interactionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Towards Canine Brain-Computer Interfaces

Kulgod

2023

Preprint

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Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) have shown remarkable potential in human neuroscience and medicine. Yet, their application with animals, in particular canines, remains largely unexplored. This paper delves into the background, systems overview, implementation details, potential features, prospective use-cases and challenges, of canine BCIs. While the focus is on EEG-based BCIs, other modalities such as fNIRS are also discussed. Despite significant challenges, such as hardware design and data inference, I argue that canine BCIs hold potential to significantly push forward our understanding of canine cognition, and facilitate a higher bandwidth of human- canine communication, collaboration, and flourishing.

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Measurement of Canine Ataxic Gait Patterns Using Body-Worn Smartphone Sensor Data

Cited by 7 publications

References 36 publications

Quantification of phenobarbital-induced ataxia in dogs with idiopathic epilepsy

Quantification of phenobarbital-induced ataxia in dogs with idiopathic epilepsy

Quantification of spinal ataxia in dogs with thoracolumbar spinal cord injury

Towards Canine Brain-Computer Interfaces

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