| Message: | A broad variety of rodent motor tests are available to determine deficits in animal models. The ‘beam walking test' or ‘balance beam test' is used to analyze rodent gait in a testing environment that challenges their ability to maintain balance given that the animals have to cross an elevated beam with a narrow diameter. Here, Creative Biolabs conducts the beam walking test to analyze gait-related behavior and deviations in limb coordination of rodents.
This test is used for the assessment of motor coordination, particularly of the hindlimb. Firstly, animals are placed in one corner of the narrow beam and allowed to walk across the narrow beam from one end to the other for at least three times. The narrow beam measures 1-3 cm wide and is elevated between a pole and their home cage (to attract the rat to the finish point). This training step can be useful to achieve a stable baseline measurement. The number of foot slips encountered, and time taken to cross the beam in each trial are recorded. https://www.creative-biolabs.com/drug-discovery/therapeutics/beam-walking-test.htm. |
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