Gait-stance duration as a measure of injury and recovery in the rat sciatic nerve model

Janet L. Walker; Joyce M. Evans; Phillip Meade; Phillip Resig; Betty F. Sisken

doi:10.1016/0165-0270(94)90054-X

Gait-stance duration as a measure of injury and recovery in the rat sciatic nerve model

Janet L. Walker, Joyce M. Evans, Phillip Meade, Phillip Resig, Betty F. Sisken

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

88 Scopus citations

Abstract

The rat sciatic nerve is a well-established animal model for the study of peripheral crush injury. Footprint analysis is the most widely used non- invasive method of measuring functional recovery after injury in this model. However, this method has significant limitations due to inability to obtain clear reproducible prints, especially when the injury is severe, and variation of these prints with gait velocity. In the case of contracture or toe loss, footprint analysis is unreliable. We describe a new technique, gait -stance duration, which is capable of non-invasively quantitating functional recovery in the rat model. This method is not dependent on accurate foot positioning during gait. It utilizes video recording of the animal walking and measures the time each hind foot is in contact with the floor by counting the number of frames that pass. By pairing consecutive steps, it minimizes variation due to changes in velocity and, by calculating a ratio of injured/ uninjured hind feet, comparisons to normal gait can be made. This method shows recovery patterns similar to footprint analysis with small inter-animal variability. We believe it has significant advantages over footprint analysis for the measurement of functional recovery in the crushed sciatic nerve rat model.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	47-52
Number of pages	6
Journal	Journal of Neuroscience Methods
Volume	52
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/0165-0270(94)90054-X
State	Published - Apr 1994

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This research was supported in part by grants from the Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation and the National Institutes of Health NS 29621-01. The Kontron Image Processing System was supplied by the Image Processing Consortium of the Wenner-Gren Center for Biomedical Engineering, University of Kentucky. The authors wish to acknowledge the assistence of Richard Kryscio, Ph.D., University of Kentucky, Department of Biostatistics, and Tony Dotson and Matthew Zwick with this project.

Funding

This research was supported in part by grants from the Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation and the National Institutes of Health NS 29621-01. The Kontron Image Processing System was supplied by the Image Processing Consortium of the Wenner-Gren Center for Biomedical Engineering, University of Kentucky. The authors wish to acknowledge the assistence of Richard Kryscio, Ph.D., University of Kentucky, Department of Biostatistics, and Tony Dotson and Matthew Zwick with this project.

Funders	Funder number
National Institutes of Health (NIH)	NS 29621-01
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke	R01NS029621
Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation

Keywords

Axonotmesis
Functional recovery
Gait analysis
Nerve injury
Peripheral nerve
Sciatic nerve
Wallerian degeneration

ASJC Scopus subject areas

General Neuroscience

Access to Document

10.1016/0165-0270(94)90054-X

Cite this

@article{3474bc1d9fd04ea6aae7d4ee90161810,

title = "Gait-stance duration as a measure of injury and recovery in the rat sciatic nerve model",

abstract = "The rat sciatic nerve is a well-established animal model for the study of peripheral crush injury. Footprint analysis is the most widely used non- invasive method of measuring functional recovery after injury in this model. However, this method has significant limitations due to inability to obtain clear reproducible prints, especially when the injury is severe, and variation of these prints with gait velocity. In the case of contracture or toe loss, footprint analysis is unreliable. We describe a new technique, gait -stance duration, which is capable of non-invasively quantitating functional recovery in the rat model. This method is not dependent on accurate foot positioning during gait. It utilizes video recording of the animal walking and measures the time each hind foot is in contact with the floor by counting the number of frames that pass. By pairing consecutive steps, it minimizes variation due to changes in velocity and, by calculating a ratio of injured/ uninjured hind feet, comparisons to normal gait can be made. This method shows recovery patterns similar to footprint analysis with small inter-animal variability. We believe it has significant advantages over footprint analysis for the measurement of functional recovery in the crushed sciatic nerve rat model.",

keywords = "Axonotmesis, Functional recovery, Gait analysis, Nerve injury, Peripheral nerve, Sciatic nerve, Wallerian degeneration",

author = "Walker, {Janet L.} and Evans, {Joyce M.} and Phillip Meade and Phillip Resig and Sisken, {Betty F.}",

note = "Funding Information: This research was supported in part by grants from the Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation and the National Institutes of Health NS 29621-01. The Kontron Image Processing System was supplied by the Image Processing Consortium of the Wenner-Gren Center for Biomedical Engineering, University of Kentucky. The authors wish to acknowledge the assistence of Richard Kryscio, Ph.D., University of Kentucky, Department of Biostatistics, and Tony Dotson and Matthew Zwick with this project.",

year = "1994",

month = apr,

doi = "10.1016/0165-0270(94)90054-X",

language = "English",

volume = "52",

pages = "47--52",

number = "1",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Gait-stance duration as a measure of injury and recovery in the rat sciatic nerve model

AU - Walker, Janet L.

AU - Evans, Joyce M.

AU - Meade, Phillip

AU - Resig, Phillip

AU - Sisken, Betty F.

N1 - Funding Information: This research was supported in part by grants from the Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation and the National Institutes of Health NS 29621-01. The Kontron Image Processing System was supplied by the Image Processing Consortium of the Wenner-Gren Center for Biomedical Engineering, University of Kentucky. The authors wish to acknowledge the assistence of Richard Kryscio, Ph.D., University of Kentucky, Department of Biostatistics, and Tony Dotson and Matthew Zwick with this project.

PY - 1994/4

Y1 - 1994/4

N2 - The rat sciatic nerve is a well-established animal model for the study of peripheral crush injury. Footprint analysis is the most widely used non- invasive method of measuring functional recovery after injury in this model. However, this method has significant limitations due to inability to obtain clear reproducible prints, especially when the injury is severe, and variation of these prints with gait velocity. In the case of contracture or toe loss, footprint analysis is unreliable. We describe a new technique, gait -stance duration, which is capable of non-invasively quantitating functional recovery in the rat model. This method is not dependent on accurate foot positioning during gait. It utilizes video recording of the animal walking and measures the time each hind foot is in contact with the floor by counting the number of frames that pass. By pairing consecutive steps, it minimizes variation due to changes in velocity and, by calculating a ratio of injured/ uninjured hind feet, comparisons to normal gait can be made. This method shows recovery patterns similar to footprint analysis with small inter-animal variability. We believe it has significant advantages over footprint analysis for the measurement of functional recovery in the crushed sciatic nerve rat model.

AB - The rat sciatic nerve is a well-established animal model for the study of peripheral crush injury. Footprint analysis is the most widely used non- invasive method of measuring functional recovery after injury in this model. However, this method has significant limitations due to inability to obtain clear reproducible prints, especially when the injury is severe, and variation of these prints with gait velocity. In the case of contracture or toe loss, footprint analysis is unreliable. We describe a new technique, gait -stance duration, which is capable of non-invasively quantitating functional recovery in the rat model. This method is not dependent on accurate foot positioning during gait. It utilizes video recording of the animal walking and measures the time each hind foot is in contact with the floor by counting the number of frames that pass. By pairing consecutive steps, it minimizes variation due to changes in velocity and, by calculating a ratio of injured/ uninjured hind feet, comparisons to normal gait can be made. This method shows recovery patterns similar to footprint analysis with small inter-animal variability. We believe it has significant advantages over footprint analysis for the measurement of functional recovery in the crushed sciatic nerve rat model.

KW - Axonotmesis

KW - Functional recovery

KW - Gait analysis

KW - Nerve injury

KW - Peripheral nerve

KW - Sciatic nerve

KW - Wallerian degeneration

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0028237734&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=0028237734&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/0165-0270(94)90054-X

DO - 10.1016/0165-0270(94)90054-X

M3 - Article

C2 - 8090016

AN - SCOPUS:0028237734

SN - 0165-0270

VL - 52

SP - 47

EP - 52

JO - Journal of Neuroscience Methods

JF - Journal of Neuroscience Methods

IS - 1

ER -

Gait-stance duration as a measure of injury and recovery in the rat sciatic nerve model

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Funding

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this