1
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Comprehensive dynamic and kinematic analysis of the rodent hindlimb during over ground walking. Sci Rep 2022; 12:19725. [PMID: 36385108 PMCID: PMC9668918 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-20288-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2021] [Accepted: 09/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The rat hindlimb is a frequently utilized pre-clinical model system to evaluate injuries and pathologies impacting the hindlimbs. These studies have demonstrated the translational potential of this model but have typically focused on the force generating capacity of target muscles as the primary evaluative outcome. Historically, human studies investigating extremity injuries and pathologies have utilized biomechanical analysis to better understand the impact of injury and extent of recovery. In this study, we expand that full biomechanical workup to a rat model in order to characterize the spatiotemporal parameters, ground reaction forces, 3-D joint kinematics, 3-D joint kinetics, and energetics of gait in healthy rats. We report data on each of these metrics that meets or exceeds the standards set by the current literature and are the first to report on all these metrics in a single set of animals. The methodology and findings presented in this study have significant implications for the development and clinical application of the improved regenerative therapeutics and rehabilitative therapies required for durable and complete functional recovery from extremity traumas, as well as other musculoskeletal pathologies.
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2
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Polet DT, Bertram JEA. Competing Models of Work in Quadrupedal Walking: Center of Mass Work is Insufficient to Explain Stereotypical Gait. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2022; 10:826336. [PMID: 35646881 PMCID: PMC9135023 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2022.826336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2021] [Accepted: 03/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The walking gaits of cursorial quadrupedal mammals tend to be highly stereotyped as a four-beat pattern with interspersed periods of double and triple stance, often with double-hump ground reaction force profiles. This pattern has long been associated with high energetic economy, due to low apparent work. However, there are differing ways of approximating the work performed during walking and, consequently, different interpretations of the primary mechanism leading to high economy. A focus on Net Center of Mass (COM) Work led to the claim that quadrupedal walking is efficient because it effectively trades potential and kinetic energy of the COM. Individual Limbs COM Work instead focuses on the ability of the limbs to manage the trajectory of the COM to limit energetic losses to the ground (“collisions”). By focusing on the COM, both these metrics effectively dismiss the importance of rotation of the elongate quadrupedal body. Limb Extension Work considers work required to extend and contract each limb like a strut, and accounts for the work of body pitching. We tested the prescriptive ability of these approximations of work by optimizing them within a quadrupedal model with two approximations of the body as a point-mass or a rigid distributed mass. Perfect potential-kinetic energy exchange of the COM was possible when optimizing Net COM Work, resulting in highly compliant gaits with duty factors close to one, far different than observed mammalian gaits. Optimizing Individual Limbs COM Work resulted in alternating periods of single limb stance. Only the distributed mass model, with Limb Extension Work as the cost, resulted in a solution similar to the stereotypical mammalian gait. These results suggest that maintaining a near-constant limb length, with distributed contacts, are more important mechanisms of economy than either transduction of potential-kinetic energy or COM collision mitigation for quadrupedal walking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Delyle T. Polet
- Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
- Cell Biology and Anatomy, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
- *Correspondence: Delyle T. Polet,
| | - John E. A. Bertram
- Cell Biology and Anatomy, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
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3
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Dienes JA, Hu X, Janson KD, Slater C, Dooley EA, Christ GJ, Russell SD. Analysis and Modeling of Rat Gait Biomechanical Deficits in Response to Volumetric Muscle Loss Injury. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2019; 7:146. [PMID: 31275932 PMCID: PMC6593045 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2019.00146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2019] [Accepted: 05/31/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
There is currently a substantial volume of research underway to develop more effective approaches for the regeneration of functional muscle tissue as treatment for volumetric muscle loss (VML) injury, but few studies have evaluated the relationship between injury and the biomechanics required for normal function. To address this knowledge gap, the goal of this study was to develop a novel method to quantify the changes in gait of rats with tibialis anterior (TA) VML injuries. This method should be sensitive enough to identify biomechanical and kinematic changes in response to injury as well as during recovery. Control rats and rats with surgically-created VML injuries were affixed with motion capture markers on the bony landmarks of the back and hindlimb and were recorded walking on a treadmill both prior to and post-surgery. Data collected from the motion capture system was exported for post-hoc analysis in OpenSim and Matlab. In vivo force testing indicated that the VML injury was associated with a significant deficit in force generation ability. Analysis of joint kinematics showed significant differences at all three post-surgical timepoints and gait cycle phase shifting, indicating augmented gait biomechanics in response to VML injury. In conclusion, this method identifies and quantifies key differences in the gait biomechanics and joint kinematics of rats with VML injuries and allows for analysis of the response to injury and recovery. The comprehensive nature of this method opens the door for future studies into dynamics and musculoskeletal control of injured gait that can inform the development of regenerative technologies focused on the functional metrics that are most relevant to recovery from VML injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jack A Dienes
- Biomedical Engineering Department, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, United States
| | - Xiao Hu
- Biomedical Engineering Department, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, United States
| | - Kevin D Janson
- Biomedical Engineering Department, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, United States
| | - Conrad Slater
- Biomedical Engineering Department, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, United States
| | - Emily A Dooley
- Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, United States
| | - George J Christ
- Biomedical Engineering Department, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, United States.,Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, United States
| | - Shawn D Russell
- Biomedical Engineering Department, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, United States.,Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, United States.,Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, United States
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4
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Diogo CC, da Costa LM, Pereira JE, Filipe V, Couto PA, Geuna S, Armada-da-Silva PA, Maurício AC, Varejão ASP. Kinematic and kinetic gait analysis to evaluate functional recovery in thoracic spinal cord injured rats. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2019; 98:18-28. [PMID: 30611796 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2018.12.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2018] [Revised: 11/16/2018] [Accepted: 12/24/2018] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
The recovery of walking function following spinal cord injury (SCI) is of major importance to patients and clinicians. In experimental SCI studies, a rat model is widely used to assess walking function, following thoracic spinal cord lesion. In an effort to provide a resource which investigators can refer to when seeking the most appropriate functional assay, the authors have compiled and categorized the behavioral assessments used to measure the deficits and recovery of the gait in thoracic SCI rats. These categories include kinematic and kinetic measurements. Within this categorization, we discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each type of measurement. The present review includes the type of outcome data that they produce, the technical difficulty and the time required to potentially train the animals to perform them, and the need for expensive or highly specialized equipment. The use of multiple kinematic and kinetic parameters is recommended to identify subtle deficits and processes involved in the compensatory mechanisms of walking function after experimental thoracic SCI in rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camila Cardoso Diogo
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, UTAD, Quinta de Prados, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal
| | - Luís Maltez da Costa
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, UTAD, Quinta de Prados, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal; CECAV, Centre for Animal Sciences and Veterinary Studies, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Quinta de Prados, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal
| | - José Eduardo Pereira
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, UTAD, Quinta de Prados, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal; CECAV, Centre for Animal Sciences and Veterinary Studies, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Quinta de Prados, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal
| | - Vítor Filipe
- Department of Engineering, School of Science and Technology, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, UTAD, Quinta de Prados, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal; INESC TEC, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200 - 465 Porto, Portugal
| | - Pedro Alexandre Couto
- Department of Engineering, School of Science and Technology, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, UTAD, Quinta de Prados, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal; CITAB, Centre for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Quinta de Prados, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal
| | - Stefano Geuna
- Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences, University of Turin, Italy
| | - Paulo A Armada-da-Silva
- Faculdade de Motricidade Humana (FMH), Universidade de Lisboa (ULisboa), Estrada da Costa, 1499-002, Dafundo, Cruz Quebrada, Portugal; CIPER-FMH: Centro Interdisciplinar de Estudo de Performance Humana, Faculdade de Motricidade Humana (FMH), Universidade de Lisboa (ULisboa), Estrada da Costa, 1499-002, Cruz Quebrada - Dafundo, Portugal
| | - Ana Colette Maurício
- Department of Veterinary Clinics, Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar (ICBAS), University of Porto (UP), Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, nº 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal; Animal Science and Study Centre (CECA), Institute of Sciences, Technologies and Agroenvironment of the University of Porto (ICETA), Rua D. Manuel II, Apartado 55142, 4051-401, Porto, Portugal
| | - Artur S P Varejão
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, UTAD, Quinta de Prados, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal; CECAV, Centre for Animal Sciences and Veterinary Studies, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Quinta de Prados, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal.
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5
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The Method of Multi-Camera Layout in Motion Capture System for Diverse Small Animals. APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL 2018. [DOI: 10.3390/app8091562] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Motion capture based on multi-camera is widely used in the quantification of animal locomotor behaviors and this is one of the main research methods to reveal the physical laws of animal locomotion and to inspire the design and realization of bionic robot. It has been found that the multi-camera layout patterns greatly affect the effect of motion capture. Due to the researches for animals of diverse species, determining the most appropriate layout patterns to achieve excellent capture performance remains an unresolved challenge. To improve the capturing accuracy, this investigation focuses on the method of multi-camera layout as a motion capture system for diverse animals with significant differences in outward appearance characteristics and locomotor behaviors. The demand boundaries of motion capture are determined according to the appearance types (shapes and space volume) and the behavior characteristics of the animals, resulting in the matching principle of the typical multi-camera layout patterns (arch, annular and half-annular) with diverse animals. The results of the calibration experiments show that the average standard deviation rate (ASDR) of multi-camera system in the half-annular layout patterns (0.52%) is apparently smaller than that of the other two patterns, while its intersecting volume is the largest among the three patterns. The ASDR at different depths of field in a half-annular layout demonstrate that the greater depth of field is conducive to improving the precision of the motion capture system. Laboratory experiments of the motion capture for small animals (geckos and spiders) employed the multi-camera system locked in the 3-D force measuring platform in a half-annular layout pattern indicate that the ASDR of them could reach less than 3.8% and their capturing deviation rate (ACDR) are respectively 3.43% and 1.74%. In this report, the correlations between the motion capture demand boundaries of small animals and the characteristics of the multi-camera layout patterns were determined to advance the motion capture experimental technology for all kinds of small animals, which can provide effective support for the understanding of animal locomotion.
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Britzman D, Igah I, Eftaxiopoulou T, Macdonald W, Bull AMJ. Tibial Osteotomy as a Mechanical Model of Primary Osteoarthritis in Rats. Sci Rep 2018; 8:5132. [PMID: 29572481 PMCID: PMC5865111 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-23405-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2017] [Accepted: 02/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
This study has presented the first purely biomechanical surgical model of osteoarthritis (OA) in rats, which could be more representative of the human primary disease than intra-articular techniques published previously. A surgical tibial osteotomy (TO) was used to induce degenerative cartilage changes in the medial knee of Sprague-Dawley rats. The presence of osteoarthritic changes in the medial knee compartment of the operated animals was evaluated histologically and through analysis of serum carboxy-terminal telepeptides of type II collagen (CTX-II). In-vivo biomechanical analyses were carried out using a musculoskeletal model of the rat hindlimb to evaluate the loading conditions in the knee pre and post-surgically. Qualitative and quantitative medial cartilage degeneration consistent with OA was found in the knees of the operated animals alongside elevated CTX-II levels and increased tibial compressive loading. The potential avoidance of joint inflammation post-surgically, the maintenance of internal joint biomechanics and the ability to quantify the alterations in joint loading should make this model of OA a better candidate for modeling primary forms of the disease in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Britzman
- Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, South Kensington, SW7 2AZ, UK.
| | - Ibidumo Igah
- Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, South Kensington, SW7 2AZ, UK
| | | | - Warren Macdonald
- Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, South Kensington, SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Anthony M J Bull
- Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, South Kensington, SW7 2AZ, UK
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7
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Dimiskovski M, Scheinfield R, Higgin D, Krupka A, Lemay MA. Characterization and validation of a split belt treadmill for measuring hindlimb ground-reaction forces in able-bodied and spinalized felines. J Neurosci Methods 2017; 278:65-75. [PMID: 28069392 PMCID: PMC5323434 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2017.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2016] [Revised: 01/03/2017] [Accepted: 01/03/2017] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The measurement of ground reaction forces (GRFs) in animals trained to locomote on a treadmill after spinal cord injury (SCI) could prove valuable for evaluating training outcomes; however, quantitative measures of the GRFs in spinal felines are limited. NEW METHOD A split belt treadmill was designed and constructed to measure the GRFs of feline hindlimbs during stepping. The treadmill consists of two independent treadmill assemblies, each mounted on a force plate. The design allows measurements of the vertical (Fz), fore-aft (Fy) and mediolateral (Fx) ground-reaction forces for both hindlimbs while the forelimbs are resting on a platform. RESULTS Static and dynamic noise tests revealed little to no noise at frequencies below 6Hz. Validation of the force plate measurements with a hand-held force sensor force showed good agreement between the two force readings. Peak normalized (to body mass) vertical GRFs for intact cats were 4.89±0.85N/kg for the left hindlimb and 4.79±0.97N/kg for the right. In comparison, trained spinalized cats peak normalized vertical GRFs were 2.20±0.94N/kg for the left hindlimb and 2.85±0.99N/kg for the right. COMPARISON WITH OTHER EXISTING METHODS Previous methods of measuring GRFs used stationary single force plates or treadmill mounted to single force plate. Using independent treadmills for each hindlimb allows measurement of the individual hindlimb's GRFs in spinalized cats following body-weight supported treadmill training. CONCLUSIONS The split belt force treadmill enables the simultaneous recording of ground-reaction forces for both hindlimbs in cats prior to spinalization, and following spinalization and body-weight-supported treadmill training (BWST).
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Affiliation(s)
- Marko Dimiskovski
- Department of Bioengineering, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Richard Scheinfield
- Department of Bioengineering, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Dwight Higgin
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Alexander Krupka
- Department of Bioengineering, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Michel A Lemay
- Department of Bioengineering, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, United States.
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8
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Hansen C, Dinis TM, Vidal G, Ben-Mansour K, Bresson D, Egles C, Marin F. In-vivo analysis of nerve regeneration after sciatic nerve injury in a rat model. Int Biomech 2016. [DOI: 10.1080/23335432.2016.1233077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Clint Hansen
- Sorbonne Universités, Université de Technologie de Compiègne (UTC), Compiègne, France
| | - Tony M. Dinis
- Sorbonne Universités, Université de Technologie de Compiègne (UTC), Compiègne, France
| | - Guillaume Vidal
- Sorbonne Universités, Université de Technologie de Compiègne (UTC), Compiègne, France
| | - Khalil Ben-Mansour
- Sorbonne Universités, Université de Technologie de Compiègne (UTC), Compiègne, France
| | - Damien Bresson
- Sorbonne Universités, Université de Technologie de Compiègne (UTC), Compiègne, France
| | - Christophe Egles
- Sorbonne Universités, Université de Technologie de Compiègne (UTC), Compiègne, France
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, School of Dental Medicine, Tufts University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Frédéric Marin
- Sorbonne Universités, Université de Technologie de Compiègne (UTC), Compiègne, France
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9
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Trendelenburg-Like Gait, Instability and Altered Step Patterns in a Mouse Model for Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophy 2i. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0161984. [PMID: 27627455 PMCID: PMC5023177 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0161984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2016] [Accepted: 08/13/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Limb-girdle muscular dystrophy type 2i (LGMD2i) affects thousands of lives with shortened life expectancy mainly due to cardiac and respiratory problems and difficulty with ambulation significantly compromising quality of life. Limited studies have noted impaired gait in patients and animal models of different muscular dystrophies, but not in animal models of LGMD2i. Our goal, therefore, was to quantify gait metrics in the fukutin-related protein P448L mutant (P448L) mouse, a recently developed model for LGMD2i. The Noldus CatWalk XT motion capture system was used to identify multiple gait impairments. An average galloping body speed of 35 cm/s for both P448L and C57BL/6 wild-type mice was maintained to ensure differences in gait were due only to strain physiology. Compared to wild-type mice, P448L mice reach maximum contact 10% faster and have 40% more paw surface area during stance. Additionally, force intensity at the time of maximum paw contact is roughly 2-fold higher in P448L mice. Paw swing time is reduced in P448L mice without changes in stride length as a faster swing speed compensates. Gait instability in P448L mice is indicated by 50% higher instances of 3 and 4 paw stance support and conversely, 2-fold fewer instances of single paw stance support and no instance of zero paw support. This leads to lower variation of normal step patterns used and a higher use of uncommon step patterns. Similar anomalies have also been noted in muscular dystrophy patients due to weakness in the hip abductor muscles, producing a Trendelenburg gait characterized by “waddling” and more pronounced shifts to the stance leg. Thus, gait of P448L mice replicates anomalies commonly seen in LGMD2i patients, which is not only potentially valuable for assessing drug efficacy in restoring movement biomechanics, but also for better understanding them.
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10
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Pardes AM, Freedman BR, Soslowsky LJ. Ground reaction forces are more sensitive gait measures than temporal parameters in rodents following rotator cuff injury. J Biomech 2015; 49:376-81. [PMID: 26768230 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiomech.2015.12.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2015] [Revised: 12/10/2015] [Accepted: 12/17/2015] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Gait analysis is a quantitative, non-invasive technique that can be used to investigate functional changes in animal models of musculoskeletal disease. Changes in ground reaction forces following injury have been observed that coincide with differences in tissue mechanical and histological properties during healing. However, measurement of these kinetic gait parameters can be laborious compared to the simpler and less time-consuming analysis of temporal gait parameters alone. We compared the sensitivity of temporal and kinetic gait parameters in detecting functional changes following rotator cuff injury in rats. Although these parameters were strongly correlated, temporal measures were unable to detect greater than 50% of the functional gait differences between injured and uninjured animals identified simultaneously by ground reaction forces. Regression analysis was used to predict ground reaction forces from temporal parameters. This model improved the ability of temporal parameters to identify known functional changes, but only when these differences were large in magnitude (i.e., between injured vs. uninjured animals, but not between different post-operative treatments). The results of this study suggest that ground reaction forces are more sensitive measures of limb/joint function than temporal parameters following rotator cuff injury in rats. Therefore, although gait analysis systems without force plates are typically efficient and easy to use, they may be most appropriate for use when major functional changes are expected.
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Affiliation(s)
- A M Pardes
- McKay Orthopaedic Laboratory, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - B R Freedman
- McKay Orthopaedic Laboratory, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - L J Soslowsky
- McKay Orthopaedic Laboratory, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
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11
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Abstract
Patients with osteoarthritis (OA) primarily seek treatment due to pain and disability, yet the primary endpoints for rodent OA models tend to be histological measures of joint destruction. The discrepancy between clinical and preclinical evaluations is problematic, given that radiographic evidence of OA in humans does not always correlate to the severity of patient-reported symptoms. Recent advances in behavioral analyses have provided new methods to evaluate disease sequelae in rodents. Of particular relevance to rodent OA models are methods to assess rodent gait. While obvious differences exist between quadrupedal and bipedal gait sequences, the gait abnormalities seen in humans and in rodent OA models reflect similar compensatory behaviors that protect an injured limb from loading. The purpose of this review is to describe these compensations and current methods used to assess rodent gait characteristics, while detailing important considerations for the selection of gait analysis methods in rodent OA models.
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12
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Ledberg A, Robbe D. Locomotion-related oscillatory body movements at 6-12 Hz modulate the hippocampal theta rhythm. PLoS One 2011; 6:e27575. [PMID: 22102910 PMCID: PMC3216955 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0027575] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2011] [Accepted: 10/19/2011] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The hippocampal theta rhythm is required for accurate navigation and spatial memory but its relation to the dynamics of locomotion is poorly understood. We used miniature accelerometers to quantify with high temporal and spatial resolution the oscillatory movements associated with running in rats. Simultaneously, we recorded local field potentials in the CA1 area of the hippocampus. We report that when rats run their heads display prominent vertical oscillations with frequencies in the same range as the hippocampal theta rhythm (i.e., 6–12 Hz). In our behavioral set-up, rats run mainly with speeds between 50 and 100 cm/s. In this range of speeds, both the amplitude and frequency of the “theta” head oscillations were increasing functions of running speed, demonstrating that the head oscillations are part of the locomotion dynamics. We found evidence that these rhythmical locomotor dynamics interact with the neuronal activity in the hippocampus. The amplitude of the hippocampal theta rhythm depended on the relative phase shift with the head oscillations, being maximal when the two signals were in phase. Despite similarity in frequency, the head movements and LFP oscillations only displayed weak phase and frequency locking. Our results are consistent with that neurons in the CA1 region receive inputs that are phase locked to the head acceleration signal and that these inputs are integrated with the ongoing theta rhythm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anders Ledberg
- Department of Information and Communication Technologies, Center for Brain and Cognition, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
- * E-mail: (AL); (DR)
| | - David Robbe
- Department of Systems Neuroscience, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain
- * E-mail: (AL); (DR)
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13
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Alant JDDV, Kemp SWP, Khu KJOL, Kumar R, Webb AA, Midha R. Traumatic neuroma in continuity injury model in rodents. J Neurotrauma 2011; 29:1691-703. [PMID: 22011082 DOI: 10.1089/neu.2011.1857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Traumatic neuroma in continuity (NIC) results in profound neurological deficits, and its management poses the most challenging problem to peripheral nerve surgeons today. The absence of a clinically relevant experimental model continues to handicap our ability to investigate ways of better diagnosis and treatment for these disabling injuries. Various injury techniques were tested on Lewis rat sciatic nerves. Optimal experimental injuries that consistently resulted in NIC combined both intense focal compression and traction forces. Nerves were harvested at 0, 5, 13, 21, and 65 days for histological examination. Skilled locomotion and ground reaction force (GRF) analysis were performed up to 9 weeks on the experimental (n=6) and crush-control injuries (n=5). Focal widening, disruption of endoneurium and perineurium with aberrant intra- and extrafascicular axonal regeneration and progressive fibrosis was consistently demonstrated in 14 of 14 nerves with refined experimental injuries. At 8 weeks, experimental animals displayed a significantly greater slip ratio in both skilled locomotor assessments, compared to nerve crush animals (p<0.01). GRFs of the crush- injured animals showed earlier improvement compared to the experimental animals, whose overall GRF patterns failed to recover as well as the crush group. We have demonstrated histological features and poor functional recovery consistent with NIC formation in a rat model. The injury mechanism employed combines traction and compression forces akin to the physical forces at play in clinical nerve injuries. This model may serve as a tool to help diagnose this injury earlier and to develop intervention strategies to improve patient outcomes.
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14
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Kemp SWP, Webb AA, Dhaliwal S, Syed S, Walsh SK, Midha R. Dose and duration of nerve growth factor (NGF) administration determine the extent of behavioral recovery following peripheral nerve injury in the rat. Exp Neurol 2011; 229:460-70. [PMID: 21458449 DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2011.03.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 91] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2010] [Revised: 03/14/2011] [Accepted: 03/21/2011] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Nerve growth factor (NGF) has been previously shown to support neuron survival and direct neurite outgrowth in vitro, and to enhance axonal regeneration in vivo. However, a systematic analysis of NGF dose and dose duration on behavioral recovery following peripheral nerve injury in rodents has not been previously investigated. Here, we show that NGF promotes a bell shaped dose-response, with an optimal threshold effect occurring at 800 pg/μl. High dose NGF inhibited regeneration. However, this effect could be reversed through functional blockade of p75 receptors, thus implicating these receptors as mediators of the inhibitory response. Longer term evaluation showed that animals administered NGF at 80 ng/day for 3 weeks had greater sensorimotor recovery compared to all other treatment groups. These animals made significantly fewer errors during skilled locomotion, and displayed both increased vertical and fore-aft ground reaction forces during flat surface locomotion. Furthermore, terminal electrophysiological and myological assessments (EMG, wet gastrocnemius muscle weights) corroborated the behavioral data. Overall, these data support the hypothesis that both appropriate dose and duration of NGF are important determinants of behavioral recovery following nerve injury in the rat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen W P Kemp
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2N 4N1.
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