The Classification of gait parameters of Rat models of stroke during over-ground locomotion

Animal models of stroke have been investigated for many years to understand the behaviour and function following the human condition. The aim of this study was to utilize an established motion analysis technique and the Cardiff Classification tool based around Dempster-Shafer theory (DST) to quantify temporal gait and postural gait parameter of a rat model of stroke. Marker based motion analysis (Qualisys, Sweden) was used to investigate the effects of Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion (MCAO) on rat locomotion along a wide beam compared to controls. Significant differences (p<0.05) were found between the MCAO and control rats for swing time and roll ROM during one gait cycle. Furthermore the Cardiff DST enabled the objective classification of the rat cohorts into a MCAO group and a control group. Roll ROM and swing time data were transformed into a set of belief values that the animals had MCAO gait or normal gait. The belief values were then represented on a simplex plot, for visualisation. The DST tool was able to classify rats with an accuracy of greater than 81% accuracy. Swing time and roll were identified as the most influential variables in distinguishing differences in gait after MCAO lesion. DST therefore improves comparisons between groups when compared to ANOVA alone by taking into account a level of uncertainty and producing a clear visual comparison between the cohorts.