Rhythmic neural activity is comodulated with short-term gait modifications during first-time use of a dummy prosthesis:
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Open Access
RESEARCH
Rhythmic neural activity is comodulated with short‑term gait modifications during first‑time use of a dummy prosthesis: a pilot study Vera G. M. Kooiman1,2*, Helco G. van Keeken3, Natasha M. Maurits4, Vivian Weerdesteyn2,5 and Teodoro Solis‑Escalante2
Abstract Background: After transfemoral amputation, many hours of practice are needed to re-learn walking with a prosthe‑ sis. The long adaptation process that consolidates a novel gait pattern seems to depend on cerebellar function for reinforcement of specific gait modifications, but the precise, step-by-step gait modifications (e.g., foot placement) most likely rely on top-down commands from the brainstem and cerebral cortex. The aim of this study was to identify, in able-bodied individuals, the specific modulations of cortical rhythms that accompany short-term gait modifications during first-time use of a dummy prosthesis. Methods: Fourteen naïve participants walked on a treadmill without (one block, 4 min) and with a dummy pros‑ thesis (three blocks, 3 × 4 min), while ground reaction forces and 32-channel EEG were recorded. Gait cycle duration, stance phase duration, step width, maximal ground reaction force and, ground reaction force trace over time were measured to identify gait modifications. Independent component analysis of EEG data isolated brain-related activity from distinct anatomical sources. The source-level data were segmented into gait cycles and analyzed in the time–fre‑ quency domain to reveal relative enhancement or suppression of intrinsic cortical oscillations. Differences between walking conditions were evaluated with one-way ANOVA and post-hoc testing (α = 0.05). Results: Immediate modifications occurred in the gait parameters when participants were introduced to the dummy prosthesis. Except for gait cycle duration, these modifications remained throughout the duration of the experimental session. Power modulations of the theta, mu, beta, and gamma rhythms, of sources presumably from the fronto-cen‑ tral and the parietal cortices, were found across the experimental session. Significant power modulations of the theta, beta, and gamma rhythms within the gait cycle were predominately found around the heel strike of both feet and the swing phase of the right (prosthetic) leg. Conclusions: The modulations of cortical activity could be related to whole-body coordination, including the swing phase and placing of the prosthesis, and the bodyweight transfer between legs and arms. Reduced power modula‑ tion of the gamma rhythm within the experimental session may indicate initial motor memories being formed. Better
*Correspondence: [email protected] 2 Department of Rehabilitation, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University Medical Centre, (898) P.O. Box 9101, NL‑6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands Full list of author information is available at the end of the article © The Author(s) 2020. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, whic
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