Gait Analysis of Mice in IVH Model

Gait analysis was performed using the Catwalk gait analysis system (Noldus Information Technology, The Netherlands) as described previously [54 (link), 55 (link)]. In brief, the mice were placed in the dark experimental environment for 0.5 h for adaption before each experiment. At the beginning of the trial, the mouse was placed individually on the walkway and walked freely traverse from one side to another of the walkway glass plate where has a goal box. The videos of footprint images were recorded by a camera positioned under the walkway. The records were converted into digital signatures and processed using CatWalk XT 10.6 software. All mice completed three times of runs with an interval of 10 min. Mice were trained for 3 days prior to the record of baseline (the day before surgery), and the gait was assessed at −1 (baseline), 14, and 28 days after IVH/sham surgery.