Research Paper Volume 10, Issue 12 pp 4042—4053

Figure 8. The performance testing timeline of the mice across the lifespan. (A) Mice were evaluated periodically between 14 – 37 months of age. Mice were housed in their cages without testing (green) and were evaluated for performance (blue) every three months. It required one month to test the entire cohort (blue) because 8 mice were evaluated each week during the testing period. (B) During the testing period, mice were evaluated for frailty using the five criteria (body composition, walking speed, strength, endurance, and physical activity). Day 1: Body composition included body weight and body fat percentage assessed by Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). Day 2: Walking speed and strength were evaluated by rotarod and a grip strength meter. Day 4: Endurance was evaluated using a treadmill test and then the mice were placed in voluntary wheel running cages. Day 8: Mice were returned to their original cages. A total of 4 testing periods were performed in a month.