Ladder Rung Walking Test
A variety of neurological disorders can lead to sensory-motor dysfunction, and the ladder rung walking test provides a good research tool to determine the loss and recovery of sensory-motor function in experimental animals.
Our company offers a variety of classical experimental methods for evaluating sensorimotor function, including ladder rung walking test. We always insist on providing our customers with personalized testing services to help them obtain scientific and reliable experimental results when using animal behavior experiments for evaluation.
Introduction of The Ladder Rung Walking Test
Advances in the development of animal models of stroke, spinal cord injury, and other neurodegenerative diseases require highly sensitive tests to elucidate different aspects of motor function. In the ladder rung walking test, animals must walk along a horizontal ladder, the spacing of which is variable and changes periodically. The variation in step spacing prevents the animal from learning the absolute and relative position of the steps, thus minimizing the animal's ability to compensate for damage through learning. The experiment describes methods for quantitatively and qualitatively describing forelimb and hindlimb performance, including limb placement, stepping, coordination.
Fig. 1 Schematic diagram of the device for the ladder rung walking test.
Experimental Flow
Our company offers customized ladder climbing tests. Here, we take horizontal ladder climbing as an example and give a brief introduction to the steps of ladder rung walking test.
- The day before the experiment, train the rats or mice how to cross the ladder.
- For formal experiments, a ladder with varying horizontal support spacing was used and experimental animals were allowed to traverse the ladder from the starting location to the target point, 3-5 times per experiment.
- The entire process was videotaped using a camera placed on the lateral ventral surface to record the completion of the animal and the movement of the paws, which was then analyzed.
Data Analysis
Our camera system accurately records the activity of the experimental animals, and we analyze and evaluate the results of the ladder rung walking test according to the following hierarchy.
| Grading | Description |
|---|---|
| 0 | Deep slip |
| 1 | Visible drop |
| 2 | Slight slip |
| 3 | Replacement |
| 4 | Wrong placement |
| 5 | Partial placement |
| 6 | Correct placement |
Our company provides professional data analysis services and is committed to presenting scientific, clear and organized results to help customers save time and money in their sensorimotor function assessment experiments.
Applications
The ladder rung walking test is commonly used to evaluate the impairment of sensorimotor function after cerebral ischemia, cerebral hemorrhage or brain injury, recovery and the therapeutic effect after pharmacological intervention.
The ladder rung walking test reported in the following studies.
- Experimental spinal cord injury and behavioral tests in laboratory rats.
Fig. 2 Ladder rung walking test for rats. (Rakib, 2019)
- Inhibition of a SNARE-sensitive pathway in astrocytes attenuates damage following stroke.
Fig. 3 Mice expressing dnSNARE show better performance on sensory-motor tasks following photothrombosis. (Hines, 2013)
Our company offers professional one-stop services from experimental design to results analysis to bring breakthroughs to your research. We guarantee on-time delivery of test results. If you need, you can contact us at any time.
References
- Rakib.; et al. Experimental spinal cord injury and behavioral tests in laboratory rats. Heliyon. 2019.
- Hines, D. J.; et al. Inhibition of a SNARE-sensitive pathway in astrocytes attenuates damage following stroke. Journal of Neuroscience the Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience. 2013, 33(10):4234.