2.4.2. CatWalk gait analysis

The animal gait analysis system is a popular tool for the quantitative assessment of footsteps and natural gait in animal models of nerve disease, neurotic atrophy, nerve trauma, and pain symptom groups. In the present study, the Catwalk XT animal gait analysis system (Noldus Information Technology, Wageningen, The Netherlands) was used to evaluate motor function in rats. The system included a 1.5‐m long walking platform with a glass walkway at the bottom. The light‐emitting diode emitted light scattering into the glass plate of the walkway. When the rat passed the walkway, the footprints were captured by a high‐speed camera placed underneath and the speed and intensity were recorded.

Two weeks before the surgery, adaptive training was carried out every day in the morning and afternoon. During the training, 12 g/day of food was given daily to cause slight starvation. An eligible training requires at least three consecutive uninterrupted runs. The conditional parameters for a qualified run were as follows: passing time 1.00–8.00 s, speed variation rate less than 60%. The gait CatWalk analysis was carried out every month for 4 months after the surgery. The maximum contact mean intensity (MCMI), stride length (SL), and swing speed (SS) were recorded.