To ensure accurate results and high-quality video recordings, it’s important to clean the apparatus before and after each use to eliminate any residual stimuli that could impact the subject’s performance. The device is user-friendly and does not require any pretraining. Simply place the subject on the walkway to start the test and begin recording their performance.

Gait Analysis of Freely Moving Mice

Motor functions of wild-type C57BL/6J mice were assessed using the fTIR Walkway. Observations revealed that during initial contact, the entire paw touched the surface almost simultaneously, with significant pressure applied by the metatarsal and metacarpal pads of the hind and forelegs, respectively. This pressure gradually shifted toward the toes before lift-off during the stance phase. Notably, up to one-third of the stance phase was spent supporting weight with the toes, a finding consistent regardless of walking speed. Additionally, toe spreading was observed 20 to 30 milliseconds before ground contact at the end of the swing phase, suggesting active neuronal control. Faster mice exhibited step strides that were approximately 20% longer and had a shorter stance phase by about 50 milliseconds compared to their slower counterparts (Mendes et al., 2015).