Table 1 Different operation system between CatWalk 7 and XT (summaried according to website: http://www.noldus.com/ )

Settings

I. Detection settings involve multiple settings with no quantitative feedback of the outcome.

I. Detection settings involve fewer settings with quantitative feedback of the outcome. CatWalk XT even offers a function that searches for the most optimal settings automatically.

II. Recording of video is based on defining start and stop zones, which can be swapped depending on the direction of movement of the animal in the walkway.

II. Recording of video is performed automatically.

III. Track files are given unique descriptions based on animal ID, run ID, and time.

III. User can define a trial list that includes animal ID, experiment group, and time point. These independent variables can later be used for data selection.

Acquisition

I. Footprints are captured at a speed of 50 Hz (PAL) to 60 Hz (NTSC).

I. Footprints are captured at a speed of 100Hz high with a high speed color camera.

II. Acquisition must take place in complete darkness.

II. Acquisition can take place under red ambient light conditions.

III. Runs are captured if a user-definable maximum duration has not been reached.

III. Runs are labeled “compliant” if the run complies with user-definable duration interval and speed variation. All runs are captured, but for analysis, one can choose to only select “compliant” runs.

PAL: Phase Alternating Line

IV. Feedback is provided during acquisition when a user-definable number of “compliant” runs have been captured.

NTSC: National Television System Committee

Analysis

I. Footprints are manually classified based on a black image where only footprints are visible.

I. With Automatic Footprint Classification, footprints are automatically classified. Other body parts that contact the glass plate are highlighted, so that these can easily be manually labeled or discarded.

II. CatWalk provides a list of parameters, for a detailed assessment of the locomotion of your animal.

II. Video export for presentation purposes.

III. CatWalk XT provides data on three levels of abstraction:

➢ raw data on video frame-by-frame basis

➢ run statistics (equivalent to software 7.1)

➢ trial statistics which provide the average for multiple runs that belong to the same trial (per animal, per time point) as if it was one combined run.

Camera

Lens: 8.5 mm, Cosmicar, Japan Camera: TM-62EX, Pulnix, USA

Lens: 8.5 mm, Fujinon, China Camera: GP-3360, Gevicam, USA