Gait Impairment in a Rat Model of Focal Cerebral Ischemia
The availability of proper tests for gait evaluation following cerebral ischemia in rats has been limited. The automated, quantitative CatWalk system, which was initially designed to measure gait in models of spinal cord injury, neuropathic pain, and peripheral nerve injury, is said to be a useful t...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2013-01-01
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| Series: | Stroke Research and Treatment |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/410972 |
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| author | Saara Parkkinen Francisco J. Ortega Kristina Kuptsova Joanna Huttunen Ina Tarkka Jukka Jolkkonen |
| author_facet | Saara Parkkinen Francisco J. Ortega Kristina Kuptsova Joanna Huttunen Ina Tarkka Jukka Jolkkonen |
| author_sort | Saara Parkkinen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The availability of proper tests for gait evaluation following cerebral ischemia in rats has been limited. The automated, quantitative CatWalk system, which was initially designed to measure gait in models of spinal cord injury, neuropathic pain, and peripheral nerve injury, is said to be a useful tool for the study of motor impairment in stroke animals. Here we report our experiences of using CatWalk XT with rats subjected to transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO), during their six-week followup. Large corticostriatal infarct was confirmed by MRI in all MCAO rats, which was associated with severe sensorimotor impairment. In contrast, the gait impairment was at most mild, which is consistent with seemingly normal locomotion of MCAO rats. Many of the gait parameters were affected by body weight, walking speed, and motivation despite the use of a goal box. In addition, MCAO rats showed bilateral compensation, which was developed to stabilize proper locomotion. All of these interferences may confound the data interpretation. Taken together, the translational applicability of CatWalk XT in evaluating motor impairment and treatment efficacy remains to be limited at least in rats with severe corticostriatal infarct and loss of body weight. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-393b98882e144172b80ce51770990a84 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2090-8105 2042-0056 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2013-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Stroke Research and Treatment |
| spelling | doaj-art-393b98882e144172b80ce51770990a842025-02-03T06:46:13ZengWileyStroke Research and Treatment2090-81052042-00562013-01-01201310.1155/2013/410972410972Gait Impairment in a Rat Model of Focal Cerebral IschemiaSaara Parkkinen0Francisco J. Ortega1Kristina Kuptsova2Joanna Huttunen3Ina Tarkka4Jukka Jolkkonen5Department of Neurology, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, Yliopistonranta 1 C, 70210 Kuopio, FinlandDepartment of Neurology, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, Yliopistonranta 1 C, 70210 Kuopio, FinlandDepartment of Neurology, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, Yliopistonranta 1 C, 70210 Kuopio, FinlandA. I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, 70210 Kuopio, FinlandDepartment of Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, 40014 Jyväskylä, FinlandDepartment of Neurology, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, Yliopistonranta 1 C, 70210 Kuopio, FinlandThe availability of proper tests for gait evaluation following cerebral ischemia in rats has been limited. The automated, quantitative CatWalk system, which was initially designed to measure gait in models of spinal cord injury, neuropathic pain, and peripheral nerve injury, is said to be a useful tool for the study of motor impairment in stroke animals. Here we report our experiences of using CatWalk XT with rats subjected to transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO), during their six-week followup. Large corticostriatal infarct was confirmed by MRI in all MCAO rats, which was associated with severe sensorimotor impairment. In contrast, the gait impairment was at most mild, which is consistent with seemingly normal locomotion of MCAO rats. Many of the gait parameters were affected by body weight, walking speed, and motivation despite the use of a goal box. In addition, MCAO rats showed bilateral compensation, which was developed to stabilize proper locomotion. All of these interferences may confound the data interpretation. Taken together, the translational applicability of CatWalk XT in evaluating motor impairment and treatment efficacy remains to be limited at least in rats with severe corticostriatal infarct and loss of body weight.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/410972 |
| spellingShingle | Saara Parkkinen Francisco J. Ortega Kristina Kuptsova Joanna Huttunen Ina Tarkka Jukka Jolkkonen Gait Impairment in a Rat Model of Focal Cerebral Ischemia Stroke Research and Treatment |
| title | Gait Impairment in a Rat Model of Focal Cerebral Ischemia |
| title_full | Gait Impairment in a Rat Model of Focal Cerebral Ischemia |
| title_fullStr | Gait Impairment in a Rat Model of Focal Cerebral Ischemia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Gait Impairment in a Rat Model of Focal Cerebral Ischemia |
| title_short | Gait Impairment in a Rat Model of Focal Cerebral Ischemia |
| title_sort | gait impairment in a rat model of focal cerebral ischemia |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/410972 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT saaraparkkinen gaitimpairmentinaratmodeloffocalcerebralischemia AT franciscojortega gaitimpairmentinaratmodeloffocalcerebralischemia AT kristinakuptsova gaitimpairmentinaratmodeloffocalcerebralischemia AT joannahuttunen gaitimpairmentinaratmodeloffocalcerebralischemia AT inatarkka gaitimpairmentinaratmodeloffocalcerebralischemia AT jukkajolkkonen gaitimpairmentinaratmodeloffocalcerebralischemia |