Influence of walking speed on gait parameters of bipedal locomotion in rhesus monkeys

Background: The primate model of bipedal locomotion has been extensively used to study human evolution and played a critical role in exploring the pathological mechanisms of human neurologic disease and spinal cord injury. Speed has great influence on both walking posture and gait parameters in human walking; however, how speed changes the gait pattern of bipedal locomotion in primates remains unclear. Methods: We chose six adult female rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) and collected the gait parameters of these animals during their treadmill locomotion over a wide range of speed. Using a 3D motion analysis system, we studied the spatiotemporal characteristics of the gait pattern. Results and Conclusions: We have built an efficient and time-saving primate model and shown that speed significantly impacts kinematic parameters. This may present a thorough description of speed-related changes in the gait pattern of rhesus and shed light on the control of bipedal locomotion in primates.