Keonyoung Oh1,2, Jihong Park3, Seong Hyeon Jo2, Seong-Jin Hong2, Won-Seok Kim3, Nam-Jong Paik4, Hyung-Soon Park5. 1. Arms & Hands Lab, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, Chicago, IL, USA. 2. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), 291 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea. 3. Department of Rehabilitation, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, 82, Gumi-ro 173 Beon-gil, Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, 13620, Republic of Korea. 4. Department of Rehabilitation, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, 82, Gumi-ro 173 Beon-gil, Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, 13620, Republic of Korea. njpaik@snu.ac.kr. 5. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), 291 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea. hyungspark@kaist.ac.kr.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: For patients with gait impairment due to neurological disorders, body weight-supported treadmill training (BWSTT) has been widely used for gait rehabilitation. On a conventional (passive) treadmill that runs at a constant speed, however, the level of patient engagement and cortical activity decreased compared with gait training on the ground. To increase the level of cognitive engagement and brain activity during gait rehabilitation, a self-paced (active) treadmill is introduced to allow patients to actively control walking speed, as with overground walking. METHODS: To validate the effects of self-paced treadmill walking on cortical activities, this paper presents a clinical test with stroke survivors. We hypothesized that cortical activities on the affected side of the brain would also increase during active walking because patients have to match the target walking speed with the affected lower limbs. Thus, asymmetric gait patterns such as limping or hobbling might also decrease during active walking. RESULTS: Although the clinical test was conducted in a short period, the patients showed higher cognitive engagement, improved brain activities assessed by electroencephalography (EEG), and decreased gait asymmetry with the self-paced treadmill. As expected, increases in the spectral power of the low γ and β bands in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), premotor cortex (PMC), and supramarginal gyrus (SG) were found, which are possibly related to processing sensory data and planning voluntary movements. In addition, these changes in cortical activities were also found with the affected lower limbs during the swing phase. Since our treadmill controller tracked the swing speed of the leg to control walking speed, such results imply that subjects made substantial effort to control their affected legs in the swing phase to match the target walking speed. CONCLUSIONS: The patients also showed reduced gait asymmetry patterns. Based on the results, the self-paced gait training system has the potential to train the symmetric gait and to promote the related cortical activities after stroke. Trial registration Not applicable.
BACKGROUND: For patients with gait impairment due toneurological disorders, body weight-supported treadmill training (BWSTT) has been widely used for gait rehabilitation. On a conventional (passive) treadmill that runs at a constant speed, however, the level of patient engagement and cortical activity decreased compared with gait training on the ground. To increase the level of cognitive engagement and brain activity during gait rehabilitation, a self-paced (active) treadmill is introduced to allow patientsto actively control walking speed, as with overground walking. METHODS:To validate the effects of self-paced treadmill walking on cortical activities, this paper presents a clinical test with stroke survivors. We hypothesized that cortical activities on the affected side of the brain would also increase during active walking because patients have to match the target walking speed with the affected lower limbs. Thus, asymmetric gait patterns such as limping or hobbling might also decrease during active walking. RESULTS: Although the clinical test was conducted in a short period, the patients showed higher cognitive engagement, improved brain activities assessed by electroencephalography (EEG), and decreased gait asymmetry with the self-paced treadmill. As expected, increases in the spectral power of the low γ and β bands in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), premotor cortex (PMC), and supramarginal gyrus (SG) were found, which are possibly related to processing sensory data and planning voluntary movements. In addition, these changes in cortical activities were also found with the affected lower limbs during the swing phase. Since our treadmill controller tracked the swing speed of the leg to control walking speed, such results imply that subjects made substantial effort to control their affected legs in the swing phase to match the target walking speed. CONCLUSIONS: The patients also showed reduced gait asymmetry patterns. Based on the results, the self-paced gait training system has the potential to train the symmetric gait and to promote the related cortical activities after stroke. Trial registration Not applicable.
Authors: Pamela W Duncan; Katherine J Sullivan; Andrea L Behrman; Stanley P Azen; Samuel S Wu; Stephen E Nadeau; Bruce H Dobkin; Dorian K Rose; Julie K Tilson; Steven Cen; Sarah K Hayden Journal: N Engl J Med Date: 2011-05-26 Impact factor: 91.245
Authors: Rosanne B van Dijsseldonk; Lysanne A F de Jong; Brenda E Groen; Marije Vos-van der Hulst; Alexander C H Geurts; Noel L W Keijsers Journal: Front Neurol Date: 2018-11-20 Impact factor: 4.003