Neural predictors of gait stability when walking freely in the real-world

Sara Pizzamiglio; Hassan Abdalla; Usman Naeem; Duncan L Turner

doi:10.1186/s12984-018-0357-z

Neural predictors of gait stability when walking freely in the real-world

J Neuroeng Rehabil. 2018 Feb 27;15(1):11. doi: 10.1186/s12984-018-0357-z.

Authors

Sara Pizzamiglio^{1

2}, Hassan Abdalla³, Usman Naeem³, Duncan L Turner^{4

5}

Affiliations

¹ Neuroplasticity and Neurorehabilitation Doctoral Training Programme, Neurorehabilitation Unit, School of Health, Sport and Bioscience, College of Applied Health, University of East London, E15 4LZ, London, UK. ing.sara.pizzamiglio@gmail.com.
² School of Architecture, Computing and Engineering, University of East London, University Way, London, UK. ing.sara.pizzamiglio@gmail.com.
³ School of Architecture, Computing and Engineering, University of East London, University Way, London, UK.
⁴ Neuroplasticity and Neurorehabilitation Doctoral Training Programme, Neurorehabilitation Unit, School of Health, Sport and Bioscience, College of Applied Health, University of East London, E15 4LZ, London, UK.
⁵ UCLP Centre for Neurorehabilitation, London, UK.

Abstract

Background: Gait impairments during real-world locomotion are common in neurological diseases. However, very little is currently known about the neural correlates of walking in the real world and on which regions of the brain are involved in regulating gait stability and performance. As a first step to understanding how neural control of gait may be impaired in neurological conditions such as Parkinson's disease, we investigated how regional brain activation might predict walking performance in the urban environment and whilst engaging with secondary tasks in healthy subjects.

Methods: We recorded gait characteristics including trunk acceleration and brain activation in 14 healthy young subjects whilst they walked around the university campus freely (single task), while conversing with the experimenter and while texting with their smartphone. Neural spectral power density (PSD) was evaluated in three brain regions of interest, namely the pre-frontal cortex (PFC) and bilateral posterior parietal cortex (right/left PPC). We hypothesized that specific regional neural activation would predict trunk acceleration data obtained during the different walking conditions.

Results: Vertical trunk acceleration was predicted by gait velocity and left PPC theta (4-7 Hz) band PSD in single-task walking (R-squared = 0.725, p = 0.001) and by gait velocity and left PPC alpha (8-12 Hz) band PSD in walking while conversing (R-squared = 0.727, p = 0.001). Medio-lateral trunk acceleration was predicted by left PPC beta (15-25 Hz) band PSD when walking while texting (R-squared = 0.434, p = 0.010).

Conclusions: We suggest that the left PPC may be involved in the processes of sensorimotor integration and gait control during walking in real-world conditions. Frequency-specific coding was operative in different dual tasks and may be developed as biomarkers of gait deficits in neurological conditions during performance of these types of, now commonly undertaken, dual tasks.

Keywords: Acceleration; EEG; Gait; Mobile brain/body imaging (MOBI); RMSR; Urban environment.

MeSH terms

Adult
Brain / physiology*
Brain Mapping
Female
Gait / physiology*
Humans
Male
Psychomotor Performance / physiology*