CatWalk XT gait parameters: a review of reported parameters in pre-clinical studies of multiple central nervous system and peripheral nervous system disease models

Front. Behav. Neurosci., 2023 · DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1147784 · Published: June 7, 2023

Neurology Research Methodology & Design Biomechanics

Simple Explanation

Automated gait assessment tools, like CatWalk XT, are used to study movement problems caused by various disorders. CatWalk XT is a popular system that analyzes how rodents walk. It gives researchers lots of data, but choosing the right data to focus on can be hard. This review looks at past studies that used CatWalk XT to study gait in mice with different central nervous system (CNS) and peripheral nervous system (PNS) disorders. The goal is to find the most common and useful gait parameters for each disease model. The review found that some gait parameters are useful for spotting general walking problems, while others are specific to certain diseases. The review helps researchers use CatWalk XT data more effectively in their studies.

Study Duration

Not specified

Participants

91 peer-reviewed experimental studies in mice

Evidence Level

Review

Key Findings

1
Certain gait parameters serve as potential indicators of gait dysfunction across multiple disease models.
2
Other gait parameters are speciﬁc to particular models.
3
The more site-speciﬁc the injury is, the fewer parameters are reported to characterize its gait abnormalities.

Research Summary

This study reviews CatWalk XT data from 91 preclinical mouse studies covering six CNS and PNS disorders to identify commonly reported gait parameters. The review categorizes gait parameters into temporal, spatial, support, coordination, print, and other categories, evaluating statistical significance and visualizing data to identify potential indicators of gait dysfunction. The findings suggest some gait parameters indicate general dysfunction, while others are specific to certain models, and that more site-specific injuries result in fewer reported gait abnormalities.

Practical Implications

Parameter Selection

The review provides guidance for researchers using CatWalk XT by highlighting relevant gait parameters for specific disease models, aiding in efficient data selection.

Differential Diagnosis

Identifying gait parameters that differentiate between mouse models can enable the use of gait analysis for differential diagnosis between various biological and/or neurological insults.

Standardization

The study promotes standardization of parameter selection and encourages new users to apply this information, enhancing the reliability and comparability of gait analysis studies.

Study Limitations

1
Literature-based parameter selection may be limited in generalizability due to inherent bias in published papers.
2
Unreported or omitted information (i.e., non-signiﬁcant results) are often ignored in published data.
3
Details of gait recording protocols are often missing in publications, limiting the ability to provide additional information and guidance.

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