Alcohol affects gait analysis in rats
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1
Karadeniz Technical University, Department of Physiology, Türkiye
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2
Karadeniz Technical University, Türkiye
Locomotor behavior is a complex trait and an integral component of most animal behaviors. Gait analysis is a new biometric method aimed at unobtrusive biometric measurement to identify humans at a distance without attracting attention. In this study, we attempted to use the gait analysis method among Sprague–Dawley rats. A gait recording table was developed which uses the rodents hiding instinct that induces them to move from an open area to a dark target box by crossing a 200 x 65 cm glass surface [Fig. 1]. The video data for gait analysis was acquired from under the glass surface of the table. After 4 days of habituation, each animal was trained over a 10-day period to walk across the glass surface. After the training period, 24 animals were randomly divided into two equal groups. Initially, both groups of animals were tested without any drug or vehicle application. On the next day, the first group of animals received physiologic serum (SP) intraperitoneally, while the second group received 1.25 g/kg 20% ethyl alcohol dissolved in SP. Then the video data was again recorded. A silhouette analysis-based gait recognition algorithm, developed by the Department of Computer Engineering and the Department of Physiology in the Medical School in our University, was applied to the video data to permit gait analysis of the animals. Gait patterns used in the analysis were created by multiple projections of the images [Fig. 2]. Vectors of walking characteristics were then extracted from the gait patterns by normalized cross-correlation. Then the standard deviations (SD) of the vectors were analyzed. First day control group comparisons revealed that there was no difference in the SDs between the two control groups. When the second day vehicle and alcohol groups were compared, the results revealed that the SDs of the alcohol group were higher than the vehicle group (Z: –2.02, P < 0.05). Also, the SDs of the first group were compared for both testing days and no difference was found within the groups, but second group comparison for both days revealed that the second group SDs were found higher after they were applied alcohol (Z: –2.82, P < 0.01). These results indicate that alcohol application effects gait analysis in rats; moreover this analysis can be a valid method for assessing locomotor activity in the animal models in the future.
Conference:
10th International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience, Bodrum, Türkiye, 1 Sep - 5 Sep, 2008.
Presentation Type:
Poster Presentation
Topic:
Animal Models of Cognition
Citation:
Baytan
S,
Ekinci
M,
Alkanat
M,
Gedikli
E,
Okuyan
M,
Erdogmus
E and
Akgün
A
(2008). Alcohol affects gait analysis in rats.
Conference Abstract:
10th International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience.
doi: 10.3389/conf.neuro.09.2009.01.068
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Received:
01 Dec 2008;
Published Online:
01 Dec 2008.
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Correspondence:
Sükrücan Baytan, Karadeniz Technical University, Department of Physiology, Trabzon, Türkiye, cbaytan@gmail.com