title: Low-cost three-dimensional gait analysis system for mice with an infrared depth sensor.
abstract: Three-dimensional (3D) open-field gait analysis of mice is an essential procedure in genetic and nerve regeneration research. Existing gait analysis systems are generally expensive and may interfere with the natural behaviors of mice because of optical markers and transparent floors. In contrast, the proposed system captures the subjects shape from beneath using a low-cost infrared depth sensor (Microsoft Kinect) and an opaque infrared pass filter. This means that we can track footprints and 3D paw-tip positions without optical markers or a transparent floor, thereby preventing any behavioral changes. Our experimental results suggest with healthy mice that they are more active on opaque floors and spend more time in the center of the open-field, when compared with transparent floors. The proposed system detected footprints with a comparable performance to existing systems, and precisely tracked the 3D paw-tip positions in the depth image coordinates.
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Information Science, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, 8916-5 Takayama, Ikoma, Nara 630-0192, Japan. Electronic address: nakamura.akihiro.mt5@is.naist.jp.
authors.forename: Akihiro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Life Science and Systems Engineering, Kyushu Institute of Technology, Fukuoka, Japan. Electronic address: funaya@brain.kyutech.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Funaya
authors.affiliation: Department of Stem Cell Biology and Medicine, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan. Electronic address: uezono@scb.med.kyushu-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Naohiro
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Uezono
authors.affiliation: Department of Stem Cell Biology and Medicine, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan. Electronic address: kin1@scb.med.kyushu-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Kinichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakashima
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Biological Sciences, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Nara, Japan. Electronic address: ishiday@bs.naist.jp.
authors.forename: Yasumasa
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ishida
authors.affiliation: Technology and Development Team for Mouse Phenotype Analysis, RIKEN BioResource Center, Ibaraki, Japan. Electronic address: suzukito@brc.riken.jp.
authors.forename: Tomohiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.affiliation: Technology and Development Team for Mouse Phenotype Analysis, RIKEN BioResource Center, Ibaraki, Japan. Electronic address: swakana@brc.riken.jp.
authors.forename: Shigeharu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wakana
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Information Science, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, 8916-5 Takayama, Ikoma, Nara 630-0192, Japan; Graduate School of Life Science and Systems Engineering, Kyushu Institute of Technology, Fukuoka, Japan. Electronic address: tom@brain.kyutech.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Tomohiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shibata
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D000818:Animals; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D005684:Gait; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods*; D007259:Infrared Rays; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D062211:Spatio-Temporal Analysis
keywords: Depth image; Locomotion; Open-field test; Pose reconstruction; Rodents; Three-dimensional gait analysis