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Citation |
Oliveira AS, Schlink BR, Hairston WD, Konig P, Ferris DP. J. Neurophysiol. 2017; 118(4): 1943-1951. |
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Affiliation |
University of Michigan. |
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Copyright |
(Copyright © 2017, American Physiological Society) |
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DOI |
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PMID |
28679843 |
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Abstract |
This study aimed to determine if there are electrocortical evidence of augmented participation of sensory brain areas on walking modulation during walking with eyes closed. Healthy subjects (n=10) walked on a treadmill at 1 m/s while alternating 5 minutes walking with the eyes open or closed while we recorded ground reaction forces (GRF) and high-density scalp electroencephalography (EEG). We applied independent component analysis to parse EEG signals into maximally independent component (IC) processes and then computed equivalent current dipoles for each IC. We clustered cortical source ICs and analyzed event-related spectral perturbations synchronized to gait events. Our results indicated that walking with eyes closed reduced the first peak of the vertical ground reaction forces and induced shorter stride duration. Regarding the EEG, we found that walking with eyes closed induced significant increased relative theta desynchronization in the frontal and pre-motor cortex during stance, as well as greater desynchronization from theta to beta bands during transition to single support for both left and right somatosensory cortex. These results suggest a phase-specific increased participation of brain areas dedicated to sensory processing and integration when vision is not available for locomotor guidance. Furthermore, the lack of vision demands higher neural processing related to motor planning and execution. Our findings provide evidences for supporting the use of eyes closed tasks in clinical practice, such as gait rehabilitation and improvements in balance control, as there is higher demand for additional sensory integration for achieving postural control. Language: en |
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Keywords |
EEG; ICA; Walking; eyes closed; sensory reweighting |