title: Pelvic axis-based gait analysis for ataxic mice.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although different gait analysis methods such as Walking Track Analysis exist, they cannot be used to demonstrate the physical condition of mice with specific gait disorder characteristic. Therefore, we developed a new method for the gait analysis of such mice to accurately assess hind limb angle based on the pelvic axis.
  
  
  METHODS
  We established and verified a gait analysis method capable of pelvic axis-based limb angle measurement by video-recording the gait of a control mice group (C57BL/6J(B6)) and three ataxic mice (ataxic B6-wob/t, Parkinson's disease model (1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine treated (MPTP)), and cerebellum hypoplasia (cytosine-β-d-arabinofuranoside treated)) from the ventral side.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The assessed hind limb angles of B6-wob/t and MPTP-treated mice were significantly wider than B6 mice (p<0.01). Moreover, we could draw separating lines with slopes of minus one that could separate the data of each group in the scatter plot of the normalized hind limb step width and angle.
  
  
  METHODS
  We found no significance when we applied the already existing nose-tail method for the analysis of the hind limb angles of B6 and B6-wob/t mice. In the nose-tail method, since the whole body axis of the trunk varies while the trunk of the mouse is laterally bent changing the hind limb angle, B6 and B6-wob/t mice could not be differentiated. However, the two mice groups could be differentiated by the pelvic axis-based gait analysis method.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The pelvic axis-based gait analysis method is promising and valid for mice with gait disorder.
authors.affiliation: Rehabilitation Medicine II, Graduate School of Medicine, Fujita Health University, Mie 514-1296, Japan. naoki-t@fujita-hu.ac.jp
authors.forename: Naoki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Takayanagi
authors.forename: Hidehiko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Beppu
authors.forename: Kenmei
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mizutani
authors.forename: Yutaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tomita
authors.forename: Shizuko
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nagao
authors.forename: Shoichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Abbas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Orand
authors.forename: Hisahide
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Shigeru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sonoda
mesh_terms: D015632:1-Methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D000964:Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic / Q000494:pharmacology; D001259:Ataxia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D003561:Cytarabine / Q000494:pharmacology; D004032:Diet; D015259:Dopamine Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D005684:Gait / Q000502:physiology*; D006614:Hindlimb / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008818:Mice, Neurologic Mutants; D010388:Pelvis / Q000502:physiology*; D014741:Video Recording
chemical_list: D000964:Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic; D015259:Dopamine Agents; D003561:Cytarabine; D015632:1-Methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine
keywords: Ataxia; B6-wob/t mice; Gait analysis; Hind limb angle; Mice