Minor changes (~0.1 m/s) in human gait speed are predictive of various measures of decline and can be used to identify at-risk individuals prior to further decline. These associations are possible due to an abundance of human clinical research. However, age-related gait changes are not well defined in rodents, even though rodents are used as the primary pre-clinical model for many disease states as well as aging research. Our study investigated the usefulness of a novel automated system, the CatWalk™ XT, to measure age-related differences in gait. Furthermore, age-related functional declines have been associated with decreases in the reduced to oxidized glutathione ratio leading to a pro-oxidizing cellular shift. Therefore the secondary aim of this study was to determine whether chronic glutathione deficiency led to exacerbated age-associated impairments. Groups of male and female wild-type (gclm+/+) and knock-out (gclm-/-) mice aged 4, 10 and 17 months were tested on the CatWalk and gait measurements recorded. Similar age-related declines in all measures of gait were observed in both males and females, and chronic glutathione depletion was associated with some delays in age-related declines, which were further exacerbated. In conclusion, the CatWalk is a useful tool to assess gait changes with age, and further studies will be required to identify the potential compensating mechanisms underlying the effects observed with the chronic glutathione depletion.

More than 90% of alcohol consumption by young people is in the pattern binge drinking. During adolescence, the brain undergoes maturational changes that influence alterations in behavior control, affective behaviors, and cerebellar brain volume and function in adulthood. We investigated long-term impacts of adolescent binge alcohol exposure on affective behaviors and cerebellar gene expression in male and female mice. We exposed C57BL/6J mice to adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE) or air (control) vapor inhalation from postnatal day 28-42. After prolonged abstinence, in young adulthood we assessed behavior in the open field, light/dark, tail suspension, and forced swim stress tests to determine changes in affective behaviors including anxiety-like, depressive-like, and stress reactivity behavior. mRNA levels of FMR1 and other interacting gene expressions (Grin2a, Grin2B, Grm5, PSD-95, and Eaat1) were measured in the cerebellum of control and adult AIE-exposed mice. In adult AIE-exposed mice, we show decreased movement in the open field in both sexes and modest changes in females in anxiety-like behavior (center zone activity). In the forced swim stress test, adult AIE-exposed male mice spent less time immobile compared to their same-sex controls, indicative of sex-specific changes in stress reactivity. Male and female AIE-exposed mice showed increased Grin2B mRNA expression in the adult cerebellum compared to their same-sex controls. Together, these data show that adolescent binge-like ethanol exposure altered affective behaviors and modified Grin2B expression in adulthood. This indicates the cerebellum may serve as an important brain region that is susceptible to long-term molecular changes with adolescent alcohol exposure.

Orthoses which fit inside shoes have, in many cases in the past, been fashioned to the shape of the patient's foot. It is suggested that improved stability and comfort is achieved if, instead, the outside shape of the foot-piece of the orthosis is fashioned to the inside shape of the footwear. A method for achieving this is described.