Synchronous Integrated Detection System for Animal Gait and Cortical Functional Network Connectivity.

Deciphering the spatiotemporal patterns of gait behavior and synchronized cortical functional networks is highly significant in neuroscience research. However, current small-animal gait analyzers cannot synchronize gait and cortical functional network connectivity (CFNC), thus limiting our understanding of CFNC dynamics under different gaits. To address this issue, we developed a small-animal gait analyzer that can synchronize gait with whole-brain local field potentials in real time. Using this device, we precisely analyzed the real-time dynamic changes in the CFNC during fine gait movements and mapped the dynamic remodeling of the CFNC during the gait cycle in real time in mouse models of neuropathic pain and ischemic stroke, directly correlating phase-specific network reorganization with motor deficits. Our results demonstrate that the device can monitor the CFNC in real time across different gaits and reveal the specificity of cortical functional networks underlying some motor dysfunctions. This device has the potential to be used to dissect neural representations of motor control and assess treatment efficacy.