Assessment of hindlimb gait as a powerful indicator of axonal loss in a murine model of progressive CNS demyelination.

Identifying the role of axonal injury in the development of permanent, irreversible neurologic disability is important to the study of central nervous system (CNS) demyelinating diseases. Our understanding of neurologic dysfunction in demyelinating diseases and the ability to assess therapeutic interventions depends on the development of objective functional assays that can non-invasively measure axonal loss. In this study, we demonstrate in a murine model of progressive CNS demyelination that assessment of the hindlimb width of stride provides a powerful indicator of axonal loss and can dissociate between deficits induced by demyelination versus axonal loss.