What can I use CatWalk for?

Gait has been used as an endpoint for many types of rodent models. CatWalk is the most cited system to measure and analyse locomotion and gait in small mammals.

Therefore, it is no suprise that CatWalk has been used in a great variety of studies over the years. From Parkinson's disease to nerve and skeletal injuries, CatWalk is a great fit for a wide variety of research and disease models.

Applications of CatWalk

Spinal cord injury

SCI results in motor and sensory deficits due to damage to the spinal cord. Gait analysis with CatWalk allows researchers to quantify changes in paw placement, stride length, and coordination, providing insights into locomotor recovery and therapeutic efficacy.

Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's is characterized by motor symptoms like tremors, rigidity, and bradykinesia. CatWalk can assess alterations in gait patterns, such as reduced step length and irregular paw placements, reflecting motor impairment and aiding in evaluating potential treatments.

Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's leads to cognitive decline but can also affect motor function. CatWalk helps measure changes in gait parameters like velocity and regularity, providing a non-invasive tool to track disease progression and assess the impact of interventions on motor symptoms.

Illustration of brain with highlighted cerebellum

Ataxia

Ataxia involves impaired coordination and balance, often caused by cerebellar dysfunction. CatWalk can detect irregularities in paw placement and gait variability, facilitating the evaluation of motor coordination deficits and therapeutic interventions.

Arthritis

Arthritis causes joint inflammation and pain, affecting mobility in rodents. CatWalk enables the quantification of paw pressure distribution and changes in gait patterns, allowing researchers to monitor disease progression and evaluate pain-relief strategies.

Pain research

CatWalk is valuable in pain research by assessing gait parameters indicative of discomfort or pain, such as alterations in paw contact area. This aids in studying pain mechanisms and evaluating the effectiveness of analgesic treatments.

Traumatic brain injury

TBI disrupts normal brain function and can impair motor coordination and balance. CatWalk enables the measurement of gait abnormalities post-injury, aiding in the assessment of TBI severity and creation of therapeutic interventions.

Sciatic nerve injury

SNI affects motor and sensory function in rodents. CatWalk allows for the precise measurement of gait parameters, such as paw print area and intensity, assisting in evaluating nerve regeneration and functional recovery following injury

The gait analysis backbone for many labs

Take a look inside the Mouse NeuroBehavior Core at Columbia University. Here, Dr. Mu Yang shares her experience with using CatWalk and other Noldus behavioral tools, and explains how easy it is to train new users to operate these systems.

Looking for some other examples? Click on recourses to find out all you need to know about CatWalk.

Resources

Why should I use CatWalk?

CatWalk gait analysis has been validated in research and experimental procedures for several (neurological) disorders and lesions. It does not matter if gait is affected due to genetic, chemical, or physical injury. If your animal can traverse the CatWalk runway, you can evaluate its gait.

Benefits

How do I use Catwalk?

The CatWalk system detects actual footprints by employing the illuminated footprint technology. With a high-speed camera and dedicated software, the CatWalk system offers impeccable quantification of footprints and gait parameters, automatic detection of errors, and easy results visualization.

System setup

All I need to know about CatWalk

CatWalk has been used in a great variety of studies, from TBI to stroke and pain research. Do you want to know more about how CatWalk works, or get more in-depth information on what the CatWalk has been used for? Then, follow the link below.