4.05.09 - CatWalk useful addition to Von Frey test
Recently is was suggested that the CatWalk could offer a quick and objective alternative to the Von Frey test for determining mechanical allodynia (experiencing pain without a painful stimulus). Gabriel and others (University Medical Center Maastricht) studied this in an experimental pain model for animals. The results have recently been published in Behavioural Brain Reseach
The study showed that the use of the CatWalk as an alternative for the Von Frey test are limited to certain expermintal pain models. The findings suggest that the combination of the CatWalk and the Von Frey results in a more accurate picture of pain-related behavior in animals than either method by itself.
Gabriel AF, Marcus MAE, Walenkamp GHIM, Joosten EAJ. The CatWalk method: Assessment of mechanical allodynia in experimental chronic pain. Behavioural Brain Research 198:477-480. [abstract / full text]