Gait analysis in three different 6-hydroxydopamine rat models of Parkinson's disease

Gait deficits are important clinical symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD) but are rarely studied. In this study we made three different rat PD models by administration of 6-hydroxydopamine into caudate putamen (CPU), medial forebrain bundle (MFB) and substantia nigra compact (SNC). We evaluated the gait changes in these models by using a computer-assisted CatWalk system. Correlations of gait parameters with tyrosine hydroxylase protein levels in the CPU and SNC were also investigated. The gait readouts were significantly impaired in both the MFB and SNC groups. However, the MFB group showed a more pronounced impairment than the SNC group. In contrast, only mild and incomplete gait impairment occurred in the CPU group. In addition, some gait parameters demonstrated close correlation with the protein levels of TH. This paper suggests that the 6-hydroxydopamine-induced MFB model is more propitious to study gait dysfunction than the other two models and the CatWalk system can provide reliable and objective criteria to stratify gait changes arising from 6-hydroxydopamine lesioned rats. These findings may hold promise in the study of PD disease progression and new therapeutic methods.